First crossings through the Strait of Hormuz since cease-fire

Two ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since Iran agreed to reopen the waterway as part of a cease-fire deal, maritime monitor Marine Traffic said Wednesday.

"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, shortly after departing Bandar Abbas at 05:28 UTC," MarineTraffic said on X.

The United States and Iran agreed overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday to a two-week ceasefire, during which passage through the Strait of Hormuz "will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X.

“The passage of the NJ Earth may be an early sign of recovery, but it is still too early to say whether this is part of a wider reopening linked to the cease-fire or whether authorization was granted beforehand,” Ana Subasic, an analyst at Kpler, the owner of MarineTraffic, told AFP. The vessel kept its transponder active whilst taking a route near Larak Island, dubbed the “Tehran Toll” by the leading shipping publication Lloyd’s List. AFP was unable to confirm its destination immediately. “Although we expect more crossings in the coming days, this first passage should be interpreted with caution,” the analyst emphasized.

According to Lloyd's List, more than 800 ships are currently grounded in the Gulf, but shipowners and charterers reported on Wednesday morning that preparations were underway to get their vessels moving again.

For its part, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the U.N. agency responsible for maritime safety, stated on Wednesday that it was working on a mechanism to ensure the “safety of transit” through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been virtually paralyzed since the start of the war in the Middle East. “I am already working with the parties concerned to establish an appropriate mechanism to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” the IMO Secretary-General said in a statement sent to AFP. “The priority now is to ensure an evacuation that guarantees the safety of navigation,” he added.