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    1. Home
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    3. >Waiting for 'safe and sustainable' strait crossings, top shipping execs say
    Finance

    Waiting for 'safe and Sustainable' Strait Crossings, Top Shipping Execs Say

    Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®

    Posted on April 22, 2026

    3 min read

    Last updated: April 22, 2026

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    Quick Summary

    Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed to just a handful of daily crossings amid war and safety fears, with executives calling for verifiable safe and sustainable passage before normal trade resumes.

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    Table of Contents

    • Industry Leaders Voice Concerns Over Strait of Hormuz Safety
    • Executives Call for Secure and Sustainable Passage
    • Temporary Ceasefire Fails to Ensure Safety
    • Lingering Safety Questions and Regional Risks
    • Uncertainty Over Strait's Status
    • MOL's Position on Toll Fees and International Law
    • Other Shipping Companies Await Clarity
    • CEO Alexander Saverys on the Need for Assurance
    • Potential Changes to Toll Policy
    • Impact on Global Shipping and Energy Supply
    • Strait's Role in Global Oil and LNG Trade

    Shipping Executives Urge Safe Strait of Hormuz Passage as Traffic Stalls

    Industry Leaders Voice Concerns Over Strait of Hormuz Safety

    By Florence Tan and Siyi Liu

    Executives Call for Secure and Sustainable Passage

    SINGAPORE, April 22 (Reuters) - Safe and sustainable passage through the Strait of Hormuz is what top shipping companies require before the world's sees much oil or cargo leave or enter the Gulf, two top sector executives said on Wednesday.

    Temporary Ceasefire Fails to Ensure Safety

    "Two weeks ago when the ceasefire, said to be temporary, came into picture, we thought there was hope. But in reality, the agreement was not translated into the safety and passage (of the vessels)," Jotaro Tamura, chief executive of Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Singapore Maritime Week conference.

    MOL is one the world's largest shipping companies and the top owner of oil and liquefied natural gas tankers.

    Lingering Safety Questions and Regional Risks

    Questions about safety would remain even if the strait reopens, Tamura added.

    Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned of mines around the strait.

    Uncertainty Over Strait's Status

    "It's a question of the definition of open. Is it really open, or is it half open? Is it open, but there is risk?" Tamura said. "At some point in time, it (voyages) will resume, and normalisation comes into picture. But it's hard to foresee how reality would be."

    MOL's Position on Toll Fees and International Law

    When asked if MOL would pay toll fees to Iran if requested, he said MOL's position was to follow international law, which is freedom of passage through the strait.

    Other Shipping Companies Await Clarity

    Belgium's CMB.Tech, another large, diversified maritime company with a fleet of more than 250 ships, is also waiting for more clarity.

    CEO Alexander Saverys on the Need for Assurance

    "We cannot hedge. We just need to wait for what is going to happen in the Middle East," CEO Alexander Saverys said on the sidelines of the Singapore conference.

    "It is creating a lot of uncertainty."

    "We need to be confident that we can transit without having any issues," he said. "Today we have no reassurance whatsoever. We will only get the reassurance once we see that ships can pass through the straits in a safe and sustainable way."

    Potential Changes to Toll Policy

    "The Strait of Hormuz is a free passage where normally no toll should be paid," Saverys said. "If that would change in the future, we will investigate."

    He declined to comment on how many ships the company has stranded inside the Gulf.

    "We're in communication with all the governments to see and to make sure that our vessels can navigate. But right now, as you know, the situation is not safe yet."

    Impact on Global Shipping and Energy Supply

    Shipping traffic through the strait remains at a virtual standstill since the U.S.-Iran war broke out on February 28, disrupting energy supplies from the Gulf.

    Strait's Role in Global Oil and LNG Trade

    The strait usually sees about 130 vessels a day enter and exit the Gulf and handles about 20% of the world's daily oil and liquefied natural gas supply.

    (Reporting by Siyi Liu and Florence Tan in Singapore; editing by Jason Neely)

    Key Takeaways

    • •Ship transits have fallen from about 130–140 per day pre‑war to single digits amid security risks and blockade (aol.com).
    • •The strait handles around 20–25% of the world’s seaborne oil and LNG trade—disruption poses grave economic risk, especially to Asia (iea.org).
    • •International law affirms freedom of navigation; proposed Iranian tolls ($2 million per ship) would violate norms and face global opposition (apnews.com)

    References

    • Strait of Hormuz sees just a handful of ships trickling through as Iran’s chokehold continues
    • Strait of Hormuz - About - IEA
    • Iran's proposal to collect tolls in the Strait of Hormuz violates trade norms

    Frequently Asked Questions about Waiting for 'safe and sustainable' strait crossings, top shipping execs say

    1Why is shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz currently stalled?

    Shipping traffic has stalled due to the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, creating safety concerns and disrupting normal vessel movements.

    2What are top shipping executives saying about resuming voyages through the Strait of Hormuz?

    Executives state that voyages will only resume when passage is safe and sustainable, but currently there is no assurance of safety.

    3What percentage of the world’s oil and LNG supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz?

    About 20% of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas supply normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

    4Will shipping companies pay tolls to Iran for passage through the strait?

    Shipping executives affirmed their companies would follow international law, which grants freedom of passage and typically does not require toll payments.

    5How are shipping firms responding to the uncertainty in the Middle East?

    Companies are in communication with governments, waiting for reassurances on safe passage before resuming transit through the Strait.

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