Tankers begin transiting Strait of Hormuz after US and Iran sign 60-day truce, though mines and cautious owners slow return to pre-war volumes
Several oil and LNG tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, hours after Washington and Tehran signed a framework ceasefire that ended the American blockade of Iranian ports and promised unimpeded passage through the waterway. Shipping data firms counted at least eight vessels exiting the Gulf by late afternoon, the first large-scale movement since the war shut down the route in late February.
Ceasefire opens the strait
US President Donald Trump ordered the military to lift the blockade on maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports, the US Central Command announced on X. The move implements the memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday evening by Trump and Iranian President Massud Peseschkia. Vice President J.@L D. Vance confirmed from the White House that US naval forces had already permitted more than a dozen cargo ships to proceed and that over 12.5 million barrels of oil had been shipped through the strait.
By 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, eight freighters had exited the Persian Gulf via the strait, according to data provider Kpler, matching the daily average of the preceding week. Among them were three Saudi-owned supertankers carrying a total of six million barrels of crude, tracked by Windward and Kpler, as well as the French-flagged LNG carrier Mraikh, loaded with 76,535 tonnes of Qatari gas bound for Pakistan. The Saudi tankers, belonging to Bahri, reportedly switched off transponders during the transit and reactivated them only after exiting, Bloomberg noted.
- War begins; Iran effectively halts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
- US imposes a naval blockade on Iranian ports; 139 ships diverted by June, 9 disabled.
- Presidents Trump and Peseschkia sign a 60-day framework agreement to cease hostilities and reopen the strait.
- US formally lifts blockade. First tankers transit the strait; 8 vessels exit the Gulf by afternoon.
- Deadline for Iran to clear sea mines from the strait, 30 days after the agreement.
- 60-day framework expires; permanent agreement due to be finalized.
Cautious resumption and remaining mines
The main shipping lane remains partially blocked by an estimated 80 sea mines, Phillip Belcher of tanker industry body Intertanko told Blick.ch. Vessels must currently use secondary routes through Iranian and Omani waters. Under the framework accord, Iran is required to clear the mines within 30 days, but a full return to regular operations is weeks or months away. Hapag-Lloyd forecasts a three-month normalization phase, while Emirati state oil company Adnoc expects 80 percent of oil transport capacity to be restored only after about four months.
We will only act and sail through the Strait of Hormuz when we are 100 percent convinced it is safe.
An immediate return to normal operations cannot be expected at this moment. The key issue now is that risks for shipping, especially potential mine hazards, are removed in the coming weeks and the safety of seafarers and vessels is permanently ensured.
Roughly 500 merchant ships are waiting inside the Persian Gulf for onward passage, the international shipping association Bimco estimates, including 46 vessels operated by German companies with about 1,000 seafarers. German shipowners’ association VDR cautioned that the stranded ships cannot all leave simultaneously and that careful international coordination is required. Insurers are unlikely to offer affordable coverage until mines are fully cleared.
- Pre-war
- 120 passages
- Last week
- 8 passages
- 18 June 2026
- 8 passages
Oil market and inventory strain
World oil inventories fell by 143 million barrels in May, a draw rate of 4.6 million barrels per day, the International Energy Agency reported. Since the conflict began on 28 February, the average daily drawdown has been 3.8 million barrels. OECD government reserves are at their lowest level since December 1990. The IEA described the US-Iran deal as a positive signal but does not foresee an immediate supply recovery, predicting a meaningful easing only from 2027. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about 20 percent of global energy trade.
The next 60 days
The framework agreement lasts 60 days, during which both sides are supposed to negotiate a permanent settlement. The strait is to be fully reopened without additional fees, though Tehran has repeatedly signalled it intends to retain a degree of control over the waterway. US forces remain deployed in the region to ensure compliance. The narrow navigable channel, only a few nautical miles wide, could still create bottlenecks even after mines are lifted, depending on how clean the fairway becomes.
