Iran warns vessels risk penalties for breaching Hormuz transit rules
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority said cargo shipowners should check its latest list and that ship-to-ship transfers or cargo transfers with listed vessels would place ships on it.
- Iran, through its new Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), has warned that vessels breaching transit rules in the Strait of Hormuz face penalties.
- Potential penalties for non-compliance include fines, vessel detention, and the seizure of assets.
- Iran is maintaining a list of non-compliant vessels, and any ship conducting transfers with a vessel on that list will also be added.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said in a post on X that Iran had warned vessels they could face restrictions, including fines, detention or asset seizure, if they breached arrangements governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The warning adds to the risks facing charterers and shipowners navigating the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy shipments.
The PGSA, a new Iranian body established to manage the strait, also said cargo shipowners should check the latest list of vessels that had failed to comply with navigation rules in the Persian Gulf.
The statement added that vessels carrying out ship-to-ship transfers, or cargo transfers with non-compliant vessels, would also be added to the list of restricted vessels.
Any vessel seeking removal from the list of non-compliant vessels must submit a request and an accompanying explanation to Iran’s maritime authorities.
The move came before the United States was due to formally declare “economic war” on Iran on Monday (August 24) at 1pm US time, amid continuing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States had ended its military attacks on Iran and was preparing instead to sharply intensify economic pressure in an effort to force Iran to surrender.
However, Iran retains the ability to control the Strait of Hormuz and has countered that it has ways of dealing with US pressure.
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials helping to mediate the conflict between the United States and Iran were visiting Tehran, and it remained unclear whether the talks would help open the Strait of Hormuz.
