\nStrait Of Hormuz ‘Toll’ Could Breach Maritime Law, Industry Insiders Say\n<\/p>\n
Amid reports Iran and the US are considering charging vessels a \u201ctoll\u201d to transit the Strait of Hormuz, maritime insiders say such a move could backfire if other countries decide to charge ships for passing through natural maritime chokepoints.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is international free passage,\u201d Olav Myklebust, a Norwegian oil tanker manager says, \u201cso the rules are very clear.\u201d According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea<\/a> (UNCLOS), ships engaged in \u201cinnocent passage\u201d through a country\u2019s territorial waters cannot be charged a fee.<\/p>\n The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping passage between the Persian Gulf (top) and the Gulf of Oman (bottom). In this image, Iran is on the right, with Oman and the United Arab Emirates seen at left.<\/p>\n Despite clear wording around rules for innocent passage, the UNCLOS charter also states that ships can be charged for \u201cspecific services\u201d rendered. Iran could potentially organize convoys through the strait and demand fees for that service. But, Myklebust points out, \u201cIran has no [naval] vessel left to escort them\u201d after the country\u2019s navy was largely destroyed in the early days of the 2026 conflict with the US and Israel.<\/p>\n On April 8, following a cease-fire which paused that war, US President Donald Trump told ABC News that America is considering a \u201cjoint venture\u201d with Tehran to charge tolls for passage through the strait.<\/p>\n Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabdi had earlier declared Tehran was working on a protocol with \u200bOman to require \u201cpermits\u201d from ships wanting to pass the Strait of Hormuz. Oman has since denied<\/a> it is seeking fees.<\/p>\n Dimitris Ampatzi, a maritime risk and compliance manager with MarineTraffic<\/a>, told RFE\/RL that if shipping companies are forced to liaise with the Iranian military to transit the Strait of Hormuz \u201cwe could see delays, rerouting decisions, and in some cases reluctance from shipowners to enter the area.\u201d<\/p>\n Small boats seen near a vessel during an Iranian naval exercise in February.<\/p>\n Myklebust, who has made multiple crossings of the Strait of Hormuz on tankers, says that regardless of the legality of tolls, \u201cI think that for the moment [shipping firms] will have to accept paying this [reported fee of] $2 million.\u201d Companies are likely to pay up, he says, due to insurance firms that will insist all risks are mitigated as far as possible before agreeing to cover vessels transiting the strait.<\/p>\n Fees of potentially up to $2 million per ship, Myklebust says, would be, in some cases, a relatively small price to pay. Many individual crude oil carriers passing through the Strait of Hormuz are capable of carrying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of oil in a single shipment.<\/p>\n For smaller vessels that can sail over relatively shallow water, Myklebust says it could be possible to avoid Iranian waters altogether by skimming the southernmost point of the Strait of Hormuz, in Omani waters.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/9a5b31e2-f72c-4f1c-00ea-08de3c642a38_w250_r0_s.jpg\"\/)
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