Shipping disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has continued to intensify, with UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reporting a further security incident off Fujairah, while selected vessels have begun moving through the waterway under restricted conditions.
UKMTO said it received a report on 14 May of an incident 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
According to the advisory, a company security officer reported that a vessel had been taken by unauthorised personnel while at anchor and was bound for Iranian territorial waters. UKMTO said it was continuing to investigate and advised vessels to report suspicious activity.
Two maritime security sources cited by Reuters identified the vessel as the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan fishery research vessel.
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The incident follows a series of security developments affecting commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz since early May.
On 5 May, UKMTO reported that a cargo vessel had been struck by an unknown projectile within the Strait of Hormuz. The agency said the environmental impact was unknown at the time of the report.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said in its latest advisory update that Strait of Hormuz traffic remained significantly reduced.
JMIC also reported that, on 3 May, the master of a northbound bulk carrier said the vessel had been attacked by multiple small craft west of Sirik, Iran. The vessel departed the area, and all crew were reported safe.
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Commercial flows remain heavily constrained, although some tanker movements have resumed.
Shipping data from Kpler and LSEG, cited by Reuters, showed that three crude oil tankers exited the strait last week and on 10 May with their trackers switched off.
Two of the very large crude carriers were each carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude.
Iran has also begun allowing some Chinese vessels to transit the strait following an understanding over Iranian management protocols for the waterway, according to Reuters, citing Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.
However, the extent to which the move changes conditions on the ground remains unclear, as Iran had already indicated that some neutral vessels could transit if coordinated with Iranian forces.
