A formal notice to shipmasters, repeated by VHF marine radio three times a day for three days, is how Iran chose to tell the Strait of Hormuz that its ports are open for business. The Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran issued it, according to Mehr News.
It offered public marine services, technical support, and health and medical assistance to commercial traffic in the strait and nearby waters. Commanders and ship owners could ask for supplies, fuel, medical care or permitted repair items.
The procedure is simple. A vessel calls the vessel traffic service of the nearest Iranian port on Channel 16, or goes through a local agent.
The organization said the step falls under Iran’s sovereign responsibility for navigational safety and port services. It is also in line with efforts to improve seaworthiness and protect seafarers’ welfare, Press TV reported.
A closed strait
The setting matters. Press TV says that roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply normally passes through the strait, which it described as effectively shut since the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February. It reported that Iran barred passage to its enemies and their allies and tightened controls after Washington held to a naval blockade it had imposed. In Press TV’s account, those limits sent shockwaves through global energy markets.
So the offer comes from the same authority that controls access to the waterway.
Sources
- Iran offers delivering services to ships in Strait of Hormuz
- Iran maritime authority says ready to provide services to commercial vessels operating in Strait of Hormuz
