Shipping prepares for Hormuz exit amid confused US plan to move vessels and renewed Iran threats

SHIPPING security executives and industry were left scrambling for details on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that US will begin to “guide” stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz.

No pre-planning with industry had occurred at the point that Trump announced via social media on Sunday that “Project Freedom” would guide ships trapped in the Middle East Gulf “safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”

By Monday an “enhanced security area” had been established by the US to support transits, according to a notice from the Joint Maritime Information Centre, which advised vessels to consider crossing the waterway through Omani waters. However, JMIC, which monitors and analyses security threats in the area, also did not elaborate on the plan.

Chat groups used by company security officials with vessels trapped in the Gulf confirmed that companies had been caught off-guard by the announcement.

By Monday morning CSOs were still asking for guidance.

According to a memo sent to CSOs from tanker industry organisation Intertanko on Monday, the US navy has indicated that it will provide overwatch from ships and air assets.

While details are still scant, it is understood that the US will set the conditions for heightened security to enable transits via Omani territorial waters.

The Omani coastguard will provide traffic control and ships have been advised to maintain contact with the Omani coast guard on VHF Channel 16.

The primary aim is for ships to exit the Gulf, however it is not yet clear which ships will be prioritised under the plan.

“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Industry security officials told Lloyd’s list on Monday morning that much of the detail of the US plan remained worryingly unclear.

Chief among the concerns was whether the US would intervene in the event of an Iranian response.

Iran's military warned US forces on Monday not to enter the Strait of Hormuz. The unified command of Iran's armed forces said they would "respond harshly" to any threat, advising commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any movement in the absence of coordination with Iran's military.

"We have repeatedly said the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of vessels needs to be coordinated with the armed forces," Ali Abdollahi, the head of the forces' unified command said in the statement.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said late on Sunday, shortly after Trump’s announcement, that a tanker had reported being hit by uunknown projectiles off the coast of Fujairah.

While it has not been confirmed, Lloyd’s List understands the vessel was Barakah (IMO: 9902615), a VLCC owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Adnoc last week had informed some customers that it would be loading cargoes via ship-to-ship transfers off Fujairah imminently. Adnoc had recently started shuttling tankers through the Strait of Hormuz on a limited basis.

US military support to Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and about 15,000 service members, US Central Command said.

The initial response from industry officials, however remained cautious.

“With resistance expected from Iran it looks like it will be a high-risk operation for merchant ships to sail through,” said BIMCO chief safety and security officer Jakob Larsen.

“It is unclear the extent to which ‘Project Freedom’ will change much in terms of re-establishing freedom of navigation. It seems likely that we will see a resumption of hostilities, and the question is whether further combat operations can degrade the Iranian threat to a level where more shipowners find the risk level acceptable to attempt a transit through the Strait. It cannot be ruled out that the security situation for ships in the Persian Gulf will again deteriorate as a consequence of “Project Freedom”.