Sawt Falasteen - Trade ships hit in Hormuz as Iran reopening falters

Iran reversed its pledge to reopen the strait to commercial traffic during a ceasefire in the Middle East war in protest at an ongoing US counter-blockade of the route, a crucial passage for commodity shipments.

During the reopening, at least eight oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early Saturday after the Iranian announcement on Friday afternoon, data from tracking firm Kpler indicated.

However tracking platform MarineTraffic showed several other crude oil tankers approached the strait but then turned back near Iran's Larak Island, a checkpoint for vessels seeking to exit the Gulf under Iranian forces' blockade of the passage.

Four French-owned container ships bearing the name of major shipping firm CMA CGM also made U-turns in the strait on Saturday around 1000 GMT after starting to exit, the platform indicated.

Gunboats of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corp fired on a tanker in the strait northeast of Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said in an online statement.

"Tanker and crew are reported safe. Authorities are investigating."

The UKMTO said later that it also received a report of a container ship in the same area "being hit by an unknown projectile which caused damage to some of the containers" but no fire.

Around a fifth of the world's oil and liquified natural gas pass the strait in peacetime but traffic through the route came to a near-standstill after the war erupted on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

- Iran tightens control -

Iran's central military command on Saturday appeared to reverse the decision to reopen the route, saying it would resume "strict management" of the strait because of the continued US naval counter-blockade.

Iranian forces' closure of the strait has trapped hundreds of ships in the Gulf and driven up the price of oil and the costs of shipping goods, with captains avoiding the region for fear of attacks or mines.

At least three of the vessels tracked exiting via the strait on Saturday were listed as being under US sanctions.

MarineTraffic indicated that a cruise ship, the Celestyal Discovery, became the first passenger vessel to transit the strait since the start of the conflict.

It crossed close to the coast of Oman on Friday afternoon after having been docked for about 47 days in the United Arab Emirates.

"Reports indicate the vessel is sailing without passengers," Marine Traffic said in a post on X.

At least two other passenger ships showed up on the tracking platform passing the strait close to Oman on Saturday.

- Shippers wary -

The shipping industry had reacted guardedly to the reopening on Friday.

"The status of mine threats in (Iran's maritime) traffic separation scheme is unclear," Jakob Larsen, chief security officer of major shipping association BIMCO, said in a statement emailed to AFP.

"BIMCO believes shipping companies should consider avoiding the area."

Shipping analysis firm AXSMarine estimated in a note Saturday that there were currently about 108 to 116 million barrels of crude oil held on vessels at sea in the Gulf.

It estimated that load could transit the strait within six to eight days following a full reopening, but shipments would take several weeks to reach key markets in Asia.

T.Ibrahim--SF-PST