Shipowners trading through the Strait of Hormuz are caught between Tehran and Washington after Iran blacklisted 45 ships and threatened fines, detention and cargo confiscation, while the US warned that complying with Iran's transit regime could trigger sanctions, according to Splash247.
The Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority has published a non-compliant vessels list.
Iran's newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) published the "non-compliant vessels" list over the weekend, accusing the ships of breaching its arrangements for passing through the strategic waterway, Splash247 reported. The authority also warned that vessels carrying out ship-to-ship transfers, transhipment or other operations with listed ships would be added to the blacklist. Owners seeking removal must apply to Iran's maritime authorities and provide an explanation.
The list: who is caught
The list covers VLCCs, product tankers, LNG and LPG carriers, containerships and bulkers linked to some of the industry's best-known names, including ADNOC Logistics & Services and its Navig8 subsidiary, Bahri, Sinokor, Stolt-Nielsen, Klaveness Combination Carriers, Shipping Corporation of India, Dynacom and GasLog, according to Splash247.
ADNOC L&S has the largest exposure, with eight directly managed vessels on the list. Sinokor is linked to at least five ships, while three vessels are connected to Saudi state owner Bahri.
Iran published 46 entries, but only 45 individual ships are involved, the report noted. The tanker Vadin appears twice under the same IMO number, with its former name Lila Vadinar also included.
At least 14 of the listed vessels have already been attacked in and around Hormuz in recent months. They include Nakilat's Al Rekayyat, Bahri's Wedyan, the Sinokor-linked Cyprus Prosperity, ADNOC-operated Al Bahyah and Mombasa B, Stolt Nielsen's Stolt Magnesium and the AD Ports-controlled containership GFS Galaxy.
| Vessel | Operator / owner link |
|---|---|
| Al Rekayyat | Nakilat |
| Wedyan | Bahri |
| Cyprus Prosperity | Sinokor-linked |
| Al Bahyah | ADNOC-operated |
| Mombasa B | ADNOC-operated |
| Stolt Magnesium | Stolt Nielsen |
| GFS Galaxy | AD Ports-controlled |
Tehran's demands and Washington's warnings
The PGSA did not specify what each vessel had done to breach the rules, Splash247 said. Tehran has previously demanded that ships obtain Iranian clearance and pay for navigation, security, insurance and other services before crossing the strait. An Iranian parliamentary committee has also approved draft provisions allowing fees to be charged for navigation, environmental, bunkering, insurance and safety services.
The measures leave owners facing conflicting demands from Tehran and Washington. The US sanctioned the PGSA in May, accusing the IRGC-backed organisation of running an extortion scheme against commercial shipping.
Secondary sanctions reach
In updated guidance issued on Monday, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control warned that US and non-US companies could face sanctions merely for accepting services or responding to information requests from the PGSA, even where no payment changes hands, the report said.
The guidance was accompanied by a broader Treasury offensive that expanded potential secondary sanctions to shipping and four other sectors. Nearly 60 Iran-linked companies, individuals and vessels were targeted, including five shadow-fleet ships accused of moving Iranian oil and petroleum products: Sifra, G Silver, Quantum Hope, Voyage Elite and Tela.
Analysts at SEB said the larger escalation was the sector-wide shipping designation and its secondary-sanctions reach. The move gives Treasury scope to target Chinese buyers and shadow-fleet brokers moving Iranian barrels, while action against brokers and STS networks would be harder to route around than sanctions on individual hulls.
"This reinforces our China-to-Atlantic tonne-mile view, although designation is not enforcement. Seeing is believing until flows change," SEB analysts said, as reported by Splash247.
Political and diplomatic fallout
US president Donald Trump had warned last week that countries providing Iran with any economic lifeline would face consequences, the report said. He specifically named ship registries alongside oil-smuggling networks, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses and front companies among the channels Washington wants shut down.
UN secretary-general António Guterres has called for support for a proposed confidence-building mechanism, according to Splash247.
What it means for shippers and operators
For freight forwarders and ship operators, the immediate operational risk is clear: any vessel engaged in ship-to-ship transfers, transhipment or other operations with the 45 listed ships could itself be added to Iran's blacklist, Splash247 reported. At the same time, US and non-US companies could face US sanctions merely for accepting services or responding to information requests from the PGSA, even where no payment changes hands, according to the report.
The list includes containerships, meaning ocean carriers transiting the strait are directly exposed. Shipowners must now weigh the risk of Iranian fines, detention and cargo confiscation against the prospect of US secondary sanctions, the report said. The expansion of the Treasury's sweep to shipping and four other sectors also broadens the legal exposure for Chinese buyers and shadow-fleet brokers moving Iranian barrels, according to SEB.
Watch list
- The PGSA has not specified what each vessel did to breach its rules; explanations are still required from owners seeking removal.
- Iran's parliamentary committee has approved draft provisions allowing fees for navigation, environmental, bunkering, insurance and safety services — these could be enacted into law.
- The US Treasury has signalled it will continue to expand secondary sanctions, with ship registries named by the president as a channel to shut down.
- UN secretary-general António Guterres has proposed a confidence-building mechanism, though further details are not yet available.
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