Stena Bulk has had what Erik Hånell describes as “a handful” of ships stuck in the Persian Gulf since the US and Israel began bombing Iran on February 28. In mid-May, the shipping company was able to get one ship out with a US escort.
But developments in recent days have changed the playing field and opened the way to begin normalizing traffic to and from the oil-producing countries around the Gulf, according to Hånell.
“We see that many ships are passing through now,” he says.
“A few days away”
Among other things, Danish Mærsk announced on Thursday that it had sailed a ship through the strait. And according to the consulting firm Kpler, at least 172 ships have passed through the fairway since June 18. In addition, the UN maritime agency, the IMO, said that safety guarantees and processes for traffic have been put in place.
“But today we don't have to decide whether to go through or not. It's still a few days before we'll have to make a final decision,” says Hånell.
According to the shipowner, in the coming weeks it may also be necessary to send new ships to ports in the Persian Gulf to pick up cargo.
Does not include fees
Erik Hånell does not expect Stena Bulk to have to pay any fees or duties to Iran to pass through the waterway in the northern part of the Strait of Hormuz, which runs close to the Iranian coast. According to the CEO, this issue will be resolved in direct contacts between authorities in Iran and authorities in the country where the ships are flagged.
Before the war with Iran broke out on February 28, Stena Bulk normally had up to 12–13 of its 60 tankers in the Persian Gulf.
In addition to crude oil, Stena Bulk's vessels carry gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and chemicals.
