The Iranian Navy guided an Indian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) ship through the Strait of Hormuz last week, allowing this ship to move on a previously approved route after New Delhi's diplomatic activities.
The information was revealed by a senior officer on board one of the two Indian ships that passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
This information reinforces analysts' perception that Tehran is seeking to impose a traffic control system in the strait, allowing friendly ships to pass safely.
During the passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the ship of the unnamed officer maintained radio contact with the Iranian Navy. The Iranian side collected information such as which country's flag the ship was flying, the ship's name, the departure port and destination port, the nationality of the crew, and then guided the ship along the agreed route.
It seems that Iran is allowing some selected ships to pass through Hormuz after verification, this process takes place when ships move in Iranian waters. Although ships are still allowed to pass, this largely serves Iran's interests" - Mr. Martin Kelly - head of consulting at EOS Risk Group - said.
Before entering the Strait of Hormuz last week, the sailors on the LPG ship prepared a lifeboat. The ship anchored in the Persian Gulf about 10 days before receiving notification on the morning of March 13, the crew received information that the ship was allowed to pass through the strait that night.
In the past week, some ships have moved by passing through a narrow gap between Iran's Larak and Qeshm islands, close to the Iranian coast. Among them are 2 bulk cargo ships that once stopped at Iranian ports and the Karachi ship flying the Pakistani flag.
The officer on the Indian LPG ship declined to reveal further details about the route. According to this source and AIS data analyzed by Bloomberg, the ship turns off the automatic identification system (AIS) when moving through the strait, only turning it back on when it is safe to reach the Gulf of Oman. The ship cannot use GPS because the signal has been widely disturbed since the conflict broke out, causing the journey through the Strait of Hormuz to last longer than usual for many hours.
On the other side of the strait, Indian Navy ships were waiting to escort, with the national flag hung higher than usual. The ship then continued its journey to India.
Mr. Anil Trigunayat - former Indian Ambassador to Jordan and Libya - said that India's assurance of a safe corridor shows that diplomacy can still be effective. "Iran also does not want to cut off relations with all parties at this time. India, if necessary, can also play a mediating role. The above factors have helped India get this path," he said.
Bloomberg commented that Iran's threats to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz help Tehran gain more leverage over the global energy market, pushing prices up and raising concerns about shortages of oil and gas, cooking fuels and fertilizers.
About 1/5 of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Since the conflict broke out at the end of February, several ships have been hit by missiles or drones in the strait, killing at least 2 crew members. Developments in Hormuz have also caused insurance costs to skyrocket. There is information that Iran has dropped naval mines on this waterway.
