TEHRAN, Iran: Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blocklist has expanded to 77 vessels, with authorities warning that listed ships could face fines, detention or confiscation during future passages.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority said Monday that the vessels had violated Iranian protocols governing transit through the strategic waterway. The notice did not specify the alleged violation committed by each ship.
The authority also warned insurers, protection and indemnity clubs and classification societies against providing services to vessels on the list.
Ships that cooperate with listed vessels through ship-to-ship transfers or transhipment operations could also be added, the authority said. Operators seeking removal must submit a formal application explaining their case.
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Iran established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to administer its passage mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran requires vessels using the route to coordinate with the body and obtain authorisation.
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the authority in May, accusing it of links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and of compelling commercial vessels to pay tolls.
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Preliminary ship-tracking data showed commodity-vessel transits through the strait fell to single digits per day over the weekend. The recent 10-day average was 14 vessels per day.
The figures did not include ships that may have crossed with Automatic Identification System transponders switched off.
