Thursday, April 9, 2026 - Two vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz following Iran’s agreement to reopen the route as part of a temporary ceasefire.
According to maritime tracking platform MarineTraffic, the
Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth crossed the strait at 08:44 UTC, while the
Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach transited earlier at 06:59 UTC after departing
Bandar Abbas.
The movements come after Iran and the United States agreed
to a two-week ceasefire, during which passage through the waterway would be
allowed under coordination with Iran’s armed forces, as confirmed by Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Ana Subasic, an analyst at Kpler, the parent company of
MarineTraffic, cautioned that while the NJ Earth’s transit may indicate early
activity, it is too soon to determine whether this signals a broader reopening
of the strait or reflects previously approved exceptions. The vessel reportedly
maintained its transponder signal while navigating through an Iranian-approved
route near Larak Island, which has been used by ships crossing the strait in
recent weeks.
Shipping industry reports indicate that operators are
preparing to move vessels stranded in the Gulf, with estimates suggesting
around 800 ships remain stuck due to earlier restrictions.
Access to the strait had been heavily limited by Iran in
response to US and Israeli actions since late February, leading to a sharp
decline in maritime traffic. Between March 1 and April 7, only 307 commodity
carrier crossings were recorded, representing a 95 percent drop compared to
normal levels.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most
critical energy corridors, with roughly a fifth of global crude oil and
liquefied natural gas shipments passing through it during normal conditions.
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