Thai Cargo Ship Mayuree Naree Hit in Strait of Hormuz as US Imposes Naval Blockade

On March 11, the Thai cargo ship Mayuree Naree was struck by two projectiles while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important waterways located between Iran and Oman, and a fire broke out in the engine room.

“US maintains a naval blockade of Iran, reportedly to pressure Tehran into a peace arrangement”

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Al Jazeera reports that while 20 sailors were rescued, three remained trapped inside the stricken vessel, and their remains were found weeks later when a specialised rescue team boarded the vessel.

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The ship had run aground on the shores of Iran’s Qeshm island, according to the same account.

Al Jazeera places this incident alongside what it calls a “shadow fleet” of tankers that continued to navigate the very same waters safely, operating with fake flags, disabled signals and unspecified destinations.

The investigation says the covert armada survived because it operates outside the traditional rules of maritime trade, even as Iran threatened to block “enemy” ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of the United States-Israeli war launched on February 28.

It adds that navigation through the strait was disrupted amid fears of attacks, and that after a temporary ceasefire on April 8, the United States imposed a full naval blockade on Iranian ports on April 13.

Al Jazeera then describes tracking data showing that traffic did not halt, with an exclusive open-source investigation tracking 202 voyages made by 185 vessels through the strait between March 1 and April 15.

Al Jazeera’s open-source investigation divides the conflict into three phases to map how the “shadow fleet” behaved as pressure intensified around the Strait of Hormuz.

In Phase 1, labeled “Open War (March 1 – April 6),” it says 126 ships crossed the strait, peaking at 30 vessels on March 1, and that 46 were linked to Iran.

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In Phase 2, “The Truce (April 7 – 13),” it reports 49 ships crossed during the pause, with more than 40 percent tied to Iran, including the US-sanctioned, Iranian-flagged Roshak, which successfully exited the Gulf.

In Phase 3, “The US Blockade (April 13 – 15),” Al Jazeera says that despite the explicit naval blockade, 25 ships crossed the strait.

The investigation attributes the ability to keep moving to immediate adaptation when the blockade took effect, describing how the Iranian cargo ship “13448” successfully broke the blockade.

It says “13448” departed Iran’s Al Hamriya port and reached Karachi, Pakistan, and that because it is a smaller vessel operating in coastal waters it lacks an official IMO number, allowing it to evade traditional sanction-monitoring tools.

Al Jazeera also reports that the Panama-flagged Manali broke the blockade, crossing on April 14 and penetrating the cordon again on April 17 en route to Mumbai, India.

Alongside these routes, the investigation says it uncovered widespread manipulation of Automatic Identification System (AIS) trackers, including vessels such as the US-sanctioned Flora, Genoa and Skywave that deliberately disabled or jammed their signals to hide identities and destinations.

Al Jazeera says the shadow fleet relies on “false flags” and shell companies to obscure ownership, identifying 16 ships operating under fake flags, including registries from landlocked nations like Botswana and San Marino, as well as others from Madagascar, Guinea, Haiti and Comoros.

“On March 11, the Thai cargo ship Mayuree Naree was struck by two projectiles while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important waterways located between Iran and Oman”

Al Jazeera

It reports that the operational network managing these ships spans the globe, with operating firms primarily based in Iran (15.7 percent), China (13 percent), Greece (more than 11 percent) and the United Arab Emirates (9.7 percent), while nearly 19 percent of observed vessels have operators that remain unknown.

The same Al Jazeera investigation quantifies the traffic it tracked, saying that of the tracked voyages, 77 (38.5 percent) were directly or indirectly linked to Iran, and that 61 of the ships transiting the strait were explicitly listed on international sanctions lists.

It also describes the “toll of a parallel system,” with energy carriers dominating traffic, including 68 ships (36.2 percent) transporting crude oil, petroleum products and gas, and ten of these tankers directly linked to Iran.

While Al Jazeera focuses on maritime evasion, The Times of India reports that the US naval blockade is biting Iran’s economy through currency pressure, saying the Iranian rial weakened to around 1.8 million against the US dollar on Wednesday, according to Bonbast.com.

The Times of India adds that the currency has fallen by about 12% over the past week, and that at the start of the conflict two months ago the exchange rate stood at about 1.70 million rials per dollar.

It also quotes US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent describing “the combined impact of sanctions and the naval blockade” and saying the Treasury Department, through Economic Fury, targeted Iran’s “international shadow banking infrastructure” and “access to crypto,” among other items.

The Times of India then reports that Bessent said Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export terminal, is “soon nearing storage capacity,” which would force the regime to reduce oil production and cause “approximately $170 million per day in lost revenue.”

As the blockade tightens, multiple outlets describe US President Donald Trump framing it as leverage while also preparing for potential military escalation.

The Times of India says Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the strait in exchange for lifting the blockade, and it quotes him telling Axios: "The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing. And it is going to be worse for them. They can’t have a nuclear weapon."

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The Jerusalem Post similarly reports that Trump vowed to keep the naval blockade on Iran until the Islamic regime agrees to a deal that addresses US concerns about its nuclear program, quoting him: "somewhat more effective than bombing" and "They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can't have a nuclear weapon."

In parallel, the BBC reports that oil prices jumped to their highest since 2022 after a report that the US military is set to brief Trump on new plans for potential action in the Iran war, citing US Central Command preparing a plan for a wave of "short and powerful" strikes on Iran.

The BBC adds that Axios reported the proposed wave would likely include infrastructure targets, and it also reports another plan focused on taking over part of the Strait of Hormuz so it can be reopened for commercial shipping, which could involve troops on the ground.

The Jerusalem Post says US Central Command has begun preparing plans for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes on Iran, and it cites a senior Iranian security source on Press TV warning the US naval blockade will be met with “practical and unprecedented action.”

Al Jazeera’s account of Iran’s posture includes a statement attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamanei that Tehran would secure the Strait of Hormuz and eliminate "the enemy's abuses of the waterway," and it says the statement also spoke of a "new chapter" since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on 28 February.

DW reports Iran’s president saying US blockade attempts are 'doomed to fail,' while Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran 'must come to the negotiating table' and stop 'playing for time,' and he called for an end to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The blockade and the Strait of Hormuz disruption are feeding directly into energy prices and downstream costs, with the BBC reporting that Brent crude rose by almost 7% to more than $126 a barrel before falling back to around $116 in European trade.

It says crude oil is a key ingredient in petrol and diesel, and that the jump in costs since the start of the Iran war has pushed up pump prices for motorists, with petrol at an average of 157p a litre in the UK and diesel at 188.5p a litre.

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The BBC quotes RAC head of policy Simon Williams saying that while petrol at the pumps has fallen, "our analysis of wholesale costs shows petrol is now more expensive for retailers to buy than at any time since the war began".

It also quotes Kpler’s Naveen Das saying an oil price approaching $125 is the point where businesses and politicians "start to get a bit more jittery," and it adds that the increase has a knock-on effect on inflation and daily life.

In parallel, the BBC reports that some airlines have already started to raise fares or reduce flights, and that fertiliser prices have started to increase, which could affect food prices.

Beyond markets, the BBC and other outlets describe US efforts to manage the blockade’s political and operational uncertainty, including a State Department cable described by investingLive about a “Maritime Freedom Construct” coalition to restore Hormuz navigation.

investingLive says the coalition would have partner nations share intelligence, coordinate diplomatic pressure on Iran and help enforce sanctions, with the State Department acting as a diplomatic hub and US Central Command providing real-time maritime awareness for commercial shipping.

The same investingLive account says Trump told aides on Monday to prepare for an extended blockade until Iran concedes on nuclear demands, and it quotes Trump telling reporters on Wednesday that the blockade was "100% foolproof" and "genius."