Why ships are passing through Strait of Hormuz in secret
What's the story
In the wake of renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, visible ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has come to a standstill. Instead, vessels are now making covert "dark crossings," with their transponders turned off. While the US maintains that routes remain open, Iran insists on transit permissions for passage through this strategically vital waterway.
Shipping trends
Dark crossings outnumbered observable passages
According to preliminary data from Kpler, all six commodity carriers that passed through the Strait on Sunday did so with their transponders turned off. The so-called "dark crossings" outnumbered observable passages for the previous three days. Ship-tracking data based on Automatic Identification System signals showed no vessels passing through the strait early today.
Tracking challenges
Competing claims
As the US and Iran continue their retaliatory strikes, shipowners are increasingly switching off or limiting their tracking signals while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. This comes as both countries issue competing claims over control of this strategic waterway. The last visible vessel movement through the US-backed southern shipping lane along Oman's coast was recorded on Wednesday.
Route risks
What about Omani corridor?
Iranian attacks on vessels using the Omani corridor, including some with their transponders turned off, have discouraged traffic on that route. Shipowners now have the option of taking the northern passage but would be exposed to costs imposed by Iran and possible penalties from the US. Secret crossings of Hormuz became common in mid-April when UAE started moving its oil out of Persian Gulf on dark tankers.