‘Dark crossings’ surge in Strait of Hormuz as shipowners shun risks of US-Iran conflict: Report | Today’s news
A growing number of commercial vessels are crossing the Strait of Hormuz with their tracking systems turned off, as shipowners seek to avoid risks posed by the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran, Bloomberg reported.
According to preliminary data from ship-tracking firm Kpler analyzed by Bloomberg News, all six commodity carriers that sailed through the strategic waterway on Sunday did so with their transponders turned off. So-called “dark transits” have outnumbered observable transits over the past few days.
Ship tracking data based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals showed no vessels passing through the strait early Monday. But the ships continued to appear on opposite sides of the waterway — either in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman — after previously broadcasting their positions from the other side, suggesting they had crossed the strait without sharing their location, Bloomberg reported.
Ship owners choose “dark transitions”
News reports said shipping companies are increasingly choosing to turn off their transponders when sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as Washington and Tehran trade missile and drone strikes and issue competing claims over who controls the strategic waterway.
According to the source, observable traffic through the US-backed Southern Shipping Corridor along the coast of Oman has effectively stopped, with the last publicly observed transit through the route taking place on Wednesday.
In contrast, the northern route designated by Iran continued to see a limited number of crossings through Saturday.
Attacks reshape shipping lanes
The drop in traffic through the southern corridor follows a series of Iranian attacks on vessels using the Omani route, including ships that disabled their transponders, Bloomberg reported. The attacks appear to have deterred commercial traffic from using the pass.
Shipowners now face a difficult choice: use the northern route under Iranian supervision and risk additional costs or possible US sanctions, or try riskier alternatives amid heightened military tensions.
The dark transits started months ago
According to Bloomberg, clandestine crossings through the Strait of Hormuz first became widespread in mid-April when the United Arab Emirates began transporting oil on tankers operating without active transponders.
The strategy helped reduce the impact of oil supply disruptions during the early stages of the conflict and prevented shortages from becoming as severe as originally feared, the report said.
The US and Iran issue competing claims
The report noted that Tehran and Washington continue to offer conflicting views on the status of the waterway.
Iran has said vessels must obtain permission from Iranian authorities before passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while US Central Command says ships can still navigate the waterways through open international shipping lanes.
Iranian attacks continue
According to Bloomberg, Iranian forces have attacked four vessels in the past seven days, with all incidents near the northeastern side of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula — an area linked to the US-backed Southern Transit Corridor.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday it had detained two vessels it said were threatening maritime traffic by traveling on what it described as an “illegal route”.
