The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has warned that new maritime access restrictions are being enforced on Iranian ports and coastal areas, marking a fresh development in the disruption affecting traffic in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
In an advisory issued on 13 April, UKMTO said it had been informed that, effective from 1400 UTC that day, the restrictions would affect Iranian ports and coastal areas along the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea east of Hormuz.
The measures apply to vessels of any flag engaging with Iranian ports, oil terminals or coastal facilities.
READ: Strait of Hormuz disruption hits port throughput and rates
The latest warning points to a further tightening of conditions in the waterway after the two-week US-Iran ceasefire announced earlier this month failed to bring shipping activity back to normal. Tanker traffic had already begun to slow ahead of the planned enforcement of a US maritime blockade on Iranian ports.
Shipping group Hapag-Lloyd said it remained difficult to assess the situation. In comments reported on 13 April, a company spokesperson said: “What’s important is that passage through the Strait of Hormuz be restored as soon as possible.”
Reuters also reported that, in the carrier’s view, passage was not possible while mines remained, and insurance was difficult to secure.
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At the same time, traffic through the strait has not stopped entirely. Several non-Iranian tankers continued to transit Hormuz despite the heightened risk and tighter controls, suggesting that passage remains possible in limited cases even as broader disruption persists.
