LONDON/HOUSTON, April 13 (Reuters) – The United States military on Monday detailed the limits of its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, saying it should be extended eastward to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, while maritime tracking data showed that two ships turned around in the waterway when the blockage came into force.
In a statement to mariners about the blockade, adopted in an attempt to regain control of the Strait from Iran, US Central Command stated that ‘any vessel entering or leaving the blockaded area without authorization will be subject to interception, diversion and capture’.
‘The blockade will not impede neutral transit through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian countries,’ the command added.
The blockade began this Monday.
Data from the MarineTraffic tracking service shows that the tanker Rich Starry, which left this Monday’s Sharjah anchorage, on the coast of Dubai, bound for China, turned around minutes after approaching the strait, as did a second ship, the Ostria. These tankers can transport oil and chemicals.
Two oil tankers linked to Iran, however, left the Gulf this Monday through the strait before the blockade planned by the US, according to navigation data from Kpler and LSEG.
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The Aurora tanker is loaded with Iranian petroleum products, while the New Future tanker carries diesel from the UAE’s Hamriyah port, Kpler data showed.
They are among at least eight ships that transited the strait this Monday before the blockage.
According to Kpler, a petroleum products tanker loaded at a UAE port and three dry cargo ships departing from Iranian ports exited the strait, while two Pakistani petroleum products tankers and two dry cargo ships entered the strait.
US President Donald Trump announced the blockade after negotiations over the weekend to end the six-week war between the US and Iran failed, sending oil prices back above $100 per barrel.
The blockage raises uncertainty about how ships will transit the waterway, used to move a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
The US military note said the blockade should include all of Iran’s coastline, but humanitarian shipments, including food, medical supplies and other essential goods, should be allowed, albeit subject to inspection.
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The secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, told reporters that the US blockade was expected to extend the disruption to shipping traffic through the strait since the start of the conflict.
