Shipowners cautious on Hormuz transit despite Iran–US ceasefire

The two-week ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran has not yet brought enough clarity for Norwegian ships to resume sailings through the Strait of Hormuz, the Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NSA) said on Wednesday.

The industry group, representing 130 companies with some 1,500 vessels globally, said the security situation in the Gulf remains uncertain and that owners were seeking further information.

"We note the signals of a ceasefire, but the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved and unpredictable," the NSA's CEO Knut Arild Hareide said in a statement.

The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints, has forced shipping companies to suspend sailing, reroute cargo and rely on costly workarounds to keep goods moving across the Gulf.

"It is not yet clear under what conditions safe transit can be carried out. Shipowners are assessing the situation and will not resume transits until there is real security for safe passage," Hareide said.

Separately, Denmark's Maersk, one of the world's largest container vessel companies, earlier on Wednesday said the ceasefire announcement did not yet provide enough certainty to resume normal operations in the area.

French President Emmanuel Macron said about 15 countries were planning to facilitate the resumption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Small movements

Shipping data showed minimal vessel movement in the Strait of Hormuz more than six hours after the United States and Iran announced a ceasefire, according to a CNN report.

Separately, the Hormuz Strait Monitor, a real-time dashboard that tracks the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, recorded 20 ship transits in the past 24 hours, including the truce period. The number far below its normal level over a 60-day period.

Kpler data shows energy cargo dominates the trapped fleet, including 426 oil and fuel tankers, 34 LPG carriers, 19 LNG vessels, plus ships carrying chemicals, biofuels, dry bulk commodities and other goods.

Around 20,000 civilian seafarers are still stranded at sea, according to estimates from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Arsenio Dominguez, head of the IMO, welcomed the US‑Iran ceasefire and said on Wednesday that he’s working with parties to set up a “mechanism to ensure the safe transit of ships” through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The priority now is to guarantee a safe evacuation and secure navigation,” said Dominguez.

The United Nations agency warned that the seafarers are facing dwindling supplies, fatigue and psychological stress as markets await a sustained return to safe navigation.

He added that the ceasefire in the Middle East is a positive step for the safety and well-being of seafarers and the global shipping industry.

Hundreds of ships stranded

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz offers a chance to free more than 800 ships stranded in the Gulf.

Iran promised two weeks of coordinated safe passage within technical limits, while US President Donald Trump declared a “complete, immediate and safe opening,” creating uncertainty over how the agreement will function operationally.

Industry groups cautiously welcomed the announcement, noting that shipping operations are unlikely to resume immediately.

Insurers, tanker owners and crews need assurance that risks have truly eased before normal traffic can restart.

“You don’t switch global shipping flows back on in 24 hours,” said Jennifer Parker, adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, in a Bloomberg News report.

“Tanker owners, insurers and crews need to believe the risk has actually reduced — not just paused.”