Shipping Industry Welcomes Iran Deal But Warns Strait of Hormuz Reopening Will Take Time

The global shipping industry welcomed news of a U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending months of conflict in and around the Strait of Hormuz, but maritime organizations cautioned Monday that major operational and security questions remain unresolved before commercial traffic can safely return to normal.

The agreement, announced Sunday by U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian officials, calls for an end to hostilities, the lifting of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. Specifics of the agreement remain unclear.

Despite the announcement, maritime security advisories issued Monday indicated that restrictions remain in place.

A Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) advisory warned that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports “remains in effect pending execution of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement scheduled for 19 June 2026” and instructed mariners: “Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given.” The advisory said the maritime threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remains “SEVERE” and warned that blockade enforcement actions, including vessel boardings and the use of disabling force against non-compliant ships, remain in effect.

The notice reinforces warnings from shipping stakeholders that any return to normal shipping operations will require coordinated procedures, security assurances and time to safely clear hundreds of vessels currently waiting inside the Persian Gulf.

Shipping Industry Reactions

Industry groups said the announcement represents an important step toward restoring maritime trade, but warned that hundreds of vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf and that threats to navigation, including the possibility of mines, have not yet been fully addressed.

“The statements by the U.S. and Iran are currently unclear and do not offer sufficient information regarding key aspects such as timings and safe routes,” said Jakob Larsen, Chief Safety & Security Officer at BIMCO.

BIMCO Warns Hormuz Reopening Hinges on Mine Clearance

“Due to lack of details and a history of overly optimistic reassurances, we believe the security situation for the shipping industry remains volatile, and we still consider it very risky for ships to commence transits at this point,” Larsen said.

BIMCO is urging shipowners to continue conducting thorough risk assessments and called on all parties to prioritize the safety of seafarers.

Larsen said an internationally coordinated framework would ideally be developed to manage the resumption of traffic through the Strait, including procedures for safe routing, traffic separation, naval protection, reporting requirements and emergency response.

“The next step is for shipowners to be reassured that transiting the Strait of Hormuz is not only permitted but also safe,” he said.

The organization also warned that the threat posed by naval mines remains a significant concern.

“The threat of mines in the area remains a concern immediately as well as further down the line and mine-free routes need to be established,” Larsen said. “Credible assurances from both sides of the conflict must be given before traffic can resume fully to pre-conflict levels.”

According to BIMCO Chief Shipping Analyst Niels Rasmussen, approximately 600 vessels remain trapped inside the Persian Gulf, including around 250 tankers.

“We expect it will take several weeks for all ships to leave the Persian Gulf,” Rasmussen said. “We have seen an increase in ships transiting the strait last week, however, there is no indication that the announcement of an agreement has changed the situation yet.”

Industry guidance issued in May by BIMCO, INTERTANKO, the International Chamber of Shipping and other maritime organizations anticipated many of the challenges now facing shipowners. The guidance warned that once transit restrictions are lifted, a surge of simultaneous vessel movements could create severe congestion, unstable traffic patterns and elevated collision risks in the Strait’s confined waters. It also cautioned that ships may continue to face navigation hazards from mines, GPS jamming and spoofing, AIS anomalies and limited salvage resources even after military operations end, underscoring why industry groups expect a gradual rather than immediate return to normal operations.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) likewise welcomed the agreement while emphasizing the humanitarian toll the conflict has taken on seafarers.

“This announcement comes as a relief to the 20,000 seafarers who have been caught in the middle of this war,” said ICS Secretary General Thomas Kazakos.

“Their safe departure from the region must be a top priority but will take time.”

Toll-Free Transit

Kazakos said roughly 500 ships still need to transit the Strait to leave the region and called for close coordination between governments, industry stakeholders and the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).

“The fundamental principle of freedom of navigation has been sidelined during the war, and many seafarers have regrettably been injured or lost their lives,” he said. “As we now hopefully move towards peace, we must see a permanent return to vessels being able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz unimpeded without paying a toll or other clearance mechanism.”

The ICS’ call for toll-free transit through Hormuz echoes a warning issued by the IMO in April, when the agency said charging ships to use the Strait would “set a dangerous precedent.” Citing the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the IMO noted that ships have the right of transit passage through international straits and that coastal states “shall not hamper that right or suspend the transit passage.”

The agency warned that imposing tolls in one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints could undermine long-established principles of freedom of navigation far beyond the Persian Gulf.

On Monday, International Maritime Organization welcomed the agreement, calling it “a crucial return to peace, dialogue, multilateralism and diplomacy” and an important step toward restoring safety in the waterway.

IMO Response

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the agreement would allow the U.N. agency to move forward with plans to evacuate thousands of seafarers stranded in the region, though he cautioned that implementation would require time to ensure the necessary safety and security guarantees are in place.

“The Organization is working in close collaboration with Member States and partners to implement this plan safely and effectively,” the IMO said.

According to the agency, at least 46 attacks against international shipping have been verified in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began on February 28, resulting in 14 confirmed seafarer fatalities. Thousands remain stranded by the conflict.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said the agreement offered hope for the thousands of transport workers caught up in the conflict but stressed that “a signature on 19 June is not the end.” The federation, which represents transport workers across the maritime, aviation, port and logistics sectors, said the framework must be backed by “absolute, binding and verifiable guarantees” that civilian transport workers, vessels and infrastructure will not be targeted. The ITF said it does not expect an immediate return to normal shipping in the Strait, citing a backlog of stranded vessels, crew-change requirements and worker fatigue, and warned that a full recovery could take weeks or even months.

The conflict has disrupted one of the world’s most important energy corridors, forced shipping companies to suspend voyages, driven up war-risk insurance costs and left hundreds of vessels waiting inside the Gulf. While limited commercial traffic has continued under heavily managed transit arrangements in recent weeks, maritime organizations say restoring normal operations will require more than a political agreement.

For shipowners, the focus now shifts from whether the Strait will reopen to how it will reopen. Questions surrounding safe routes, traffic management, mine clearance operations, naval protection and security guarantees remain unresolved as the industry prepares for what could be a gradual return to normal shipping operations in the weeks ahead.

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