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Hormuz blacklist escalates
Iran announced on Sunday a blacklist of 45 ships it said had broken its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz and said it would take action against any vessels transferring loads with them.
“Tehran announced on Sunday a blacklist of 45 ships it said had broken its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz”
Reuters reported that at least three Indian oil refiners and a global energy major plan to stop using vessels on Iran’s new blacklist, including for ship-to-ship transfers, due to security concerns.
The Reuters report said the warning is designed to impede so-called shuttle runs by Gulf oil producers such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which move oil through Hormuz for unloading through STS transfers in the Gulf of Oman.
Tehran’s threats, as described by Reuters, include that named vessels could be fined, detained and have their cargoes confiscated, according to a post on social media website X from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.
Reuters also said some of the tankers Iran listed are owned or chartered by Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC), while Saudi Aramco and ADNOC declined to comment.
Internal debate and warnings
Reuters said one of the sources, who works at an Indian refinery, told Reuters: "We will avoid our chartered vessels dealing or STS or anything to do with non-compliant ships for Middle Eastern cargoes."
Reuters also reported that several charterers and shipping firms are discussing internally whether to continue their STS operations, with one Gulf crude buyer saying it would be safer to buy oil on a delivered basis shipped to a final destination instead of free-on-board at STS locations in the Gulf of Oman.
The Reuters report quoted Formosa Petrochemical Corp President KY Lin saying, "Our internal departments are still in discussion on how to proceed with crude deliveries from the Strait of Hormuz via ship-to-ship transfers in the long term."
In a separate account, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority warned that vessels violating Iranian protocols for the Strait of Hormuz shall face restrictions in future transits, including fines, detention, or confiscation.
The NDTV report added that the authority said any vessel cooperating with listed vessels will also be added to the list and that vessels seeking removal must submit a formal application with justifications to PGSA.
Traffic, sanctions, and risk
Reuters cited Kpler data saying ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained significantly below normal, with only five commodity vessels crossing the key energy chokepoint on August 25, well below the 10-day average of 15 crossings.
“with only five commodity vessels crossing the key energy chokepoint on August 25”
The Reuters-linked account said the data could be revised because some vessels have switched off their automatic identification system (AIS) transponders while crossing the waterway, making movements more difficult to track.
The Maritime Executive reported that the Persian Gulf Strait Authority released Iran’s first list of non-compliant vessels and warned shipowners that the listed vessels “shall face restrictions on future passages, including fines, detention, or confiscation.”
It also said the threat extends to companies and ships working with the blacklisted vessels, and that the authority warned shipping companies that prior to chartering, they “must review” the non-compliant vessels list “in order to avoid potential issues.”
The Maritime Executive further tied the move to U.S. pressure, saying Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. would unveil deep sanctions to "sever every economic lifeline," until Iran relented.