TechFlow news, July 05, according to institutional reports, the number of vessels navigating the Oman coastal route through the Strait of Hormuz decreased significantly on Sunday. The day before, multiple vessels leaving the strait along this route suddenly made sharp U-turns, highlighting that Iran continues to strengthen its control over this strategic waterway. A product tanker that turned back on Saturday seemed to attempt passage again and has currently passed the northernmost tip of the Oman Musandam Peninsula. Earlier, another product tanker also passed along the same route and publicly broadcast its navigation intent, and is currently broadcasting position information in the Gulf of Oman.
Some other vessels chose "dark navigation" to cross the strait. A Suezmax crude oil tanker appeared in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday after last broadcasting its position in the Persian Gulf on Saturday. During Friday and Saturday, at least 8 vessels suddenly turned around while crossing the Strait of Hormuz along the Oman route. Four of them subsequently changed course to head north, instead leaving the strait via the Iranian-side route. Currently, there is no official explanation for these vessels' sudden U-turns. However, Iran has previously stated multiple times that vessels can only cross the Strait of Hormuz through lanes designated and authorized by Iran. According to Kpler data, a total of 19 vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz in both directions on Saturday, but only 1 vessel publicly indicated it would enter the strait along the Oman coastal route, while the number of vessels passing along this route on Friday was 13. The above statistics only cover observable navigation activities. (Jin10)
