THE WORLD’S top 10 largest container lines still had more than 40 boxships still marooned in the Middle East Gulf on Friday, following the commencement of strikes on Iran on February 28, reported markets editor, Rob Willmington.

According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data, 43 boxships either owned or chartered by leading global container lines remain unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

A further 19 containerships operated by carriers outside of the Top 10 sphere, which serve routes from the Middle East that require transit of the waterway, also remained stationary within the MEG.

Indonesia walks back proposal of Malacca Strait toll

Indonesia’s finance chief briefly floated the idea of levying a fee on ships transiting the Strait of Malacca, citing Iran’s “toll booth” system controlling Hormuz traffic, but only to quickly dismiss it as unworkable, reported Peter Guo.

Speaking at a symposium in Jakarta on April 22, the Southeast Asian nation’s Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Indonesia is “not a peripheral” country, as it sits on the Malacca Strait, it is a “strategic route of global trade and energy.”

“But we don’t charge the ships passing through the Malacca Strait, right? Where does that problem lie?” Purbaya said, stretching his head with a laugh. “Now, Iran wants to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran claims seizure of two MSC-operated boxships while transiting the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy last week claimed it seized two vessels, which are operated by the world’s largest container shipping line Mediterranean Shipping Co, for transiting the Strait of Hormuz without its permission, wrote Lloyd’s List.

IRGC announced that the MSC-owned, 11,312 teu, MSC Francesca (IMO: 9401116) and a post-panamax ship under time charter to the company were seized and directed to the Iranian coast while transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Wednesday (April 22) last week.

Atlantic crude tanker rates retreat to pre-strait closure levels

The divergence between crude and product tankers rates continues to widen, reported senior maritime reporter, Greg Miller.

Crude tanker spot rates have pulled back further — some segments have now reverted to pre-war pricing — while product tanker rates are still close to their highs.

This performance gap may narrow going forward. Very large crude carrier rates fell first, followed by suezmaxes and aframaxes, which further corrected last week.

At least 26 Iranian shadow fleet vessels bypass US blockade

Despite the US blockade that took effect, Lloyd’s List had tracked as many as 26 shadow fleet* vessels continuing to move in and out of Iranian ports last week as well as exporting Iranian-origin cargo, reported senior risk and compliance analyst, Bridget Diakun, senior reporter Joshua Minchin and maritime risk analyst Tomer Raanan.

At least 11 oil and gas tankers laden with Iranian cargo exited the region and passed the blockade line since the US moved to stop traffic to and from Iranian ports on April 13, including a very large crude carrier and two very large gas carriers.

The scope of the US blockade changed after its implementation, expanding from a ban on port calls in Iran to also covering vessels carrying “contraband”, including crude oil product and cargo with potential military use.