More and more merchant ships are switching to a route controlled by Iran when passing through the Strait of Hormuz.Image: AP NY
The global economy is trying with all its might to pass through the shipping route in the Persian Gulf despite the armed conflict.
Mar 24, 2026, 8:03 p.mMar 24, 2026, 8:03 p.m
Ship tracker in the Strait of Hormuz: One of the most important and busiest key points in world trade.Image: www.imago-images.de
The war in the Persian Gulf is forcing “creative” solutions: more and more merchant ships are switching to a route controlled by Iran when passing through the Strait of Hormuz. In total, over 20 larger ships have already taken the detour between the islands of Qeshm and Larak, at least 16 of them since last Friday.
This is what analysts from Lloyd’s List Intelligence have to say notedwhich is confirmed by other ship trackers. The route is now considered Tehran’s de facto “toll gate”: the Revolutionary Guards control the passage, check ship data and, in individual cases, charge route fees – according to information from the British ship insurer, up to two million dollars per passage. Donald Trump’s warfare is helping the Iranian regime to generate welcome additional income at this bottleneck.
For the first time, a Chinese container ship is said to have paid for the passage. The increasing use suggests that certain states and shipping companies have made secret agreements with Tehran.
Particularly explosive: Some tankers conceal their identities during the passage. As Lloyd’s List Intelligence further writes, two ships used the identifiers of tankers that had already been scrapped over the weekend. The so-called “zombie ships” are apparently intended to circumvent sanctions or at least conceal clues about their origin.
The identity of a Japanese liquid gas tanker that had been scrapped a year ago suddenly appeared in the ship’s data off Hormuz, before the electronic identification disappeared again shortly afterwards. The other case involved a medium-sized Nigerian oil tanker that, according to Lloyd’s, had been scrapped five years ago. Experts suspect that sanctioned ships are behind the mask and want to cover their tracks.
India under pressure over gas supplies
India plays a key role in the current evasion policy. Two large liquid gas tankers flying the Indian flag have also recently used the passage and are scheduled to reach the country’s ports by the end of March. According to the Indian Ministry of Shipping, their cargo amounts to over 90,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The background is an acute LPG shortage in India, where the gas is primarily used for cooking. The supply situation has become a domestic political problem, which is why New Delhi is holding talks with Tehran to secure supplies. At the same time, Iran’s foreign minister emphasized that the Hormuz Passage was not officially closed – rather, shipping companies were avoiding risks and excessively high insurance premiums for fear of war.
The prospect of negotiations expressed by US President Trump on Monday caused oil prices to immediately fall: the Brent price fell by around 10 percent, but remains significantly higher than a month ago. But despite Trump’s diplomatic signals, the situation remains fragile. The previous attacks on several ships, the alleged mining of the commercial route and Iran’s de facto control of the Hormuz Passage have severely affected global trade.
Up to 2,500 merchant ships are currently blocked, around 200 of which are anchored in the immediate storage areas to the east and west of the passage. At normal times, around 140 ships pass through this every day. Analysts warn of renewed price jumps if the strait is not fully opened soon. The next few days are therefore likely to be crucial – both at sea and at the negotiating table. (aargauerzeitung.ch)