So todays updates...warring words (and stating the obvious)...and the Gerald R Ford is finally home for the next 12months...maybe 24 months...possibly longer
The very predictable Mr Trump has once again stated that the Strait of Homuz must be open.....and Mr Xi agreed that, yes, it must be open. Then, stating the obvious that it was open before the current conflict, Mr Xi is said to have added that the conflict should never have been started in the first place (yes, Mr Xi...we know). China is not looking to force the Strait to be reopened fully (just as several other countries have said when asked to do the same thing, in so many words..."no...you started it....you sort it" ). Mr Trump, meanwhile is pondering about lifting US sanctions on China buying Iranian oil.....just has to try and do a deal somewhere with someone...again. In the meantime oil prices have been fluctuating in the upward direction...and doing the deal seems further away than ever...despite Iran stating many times they would be happy to negotiate some more but no-one is listening.
More on this :
Trump says Xi agrees Iran must open strait, China says war should not have started (Baird Maritime - May 16, 2026)
To give an indication as to how the Strait of Hormuz is affecting the export of oil, it is reported that through April 2026 Iraq managed to export 10 million barrels of oil via the Strait. In the month prior to the conflict, it had exported 93 million barrels of oil via the Strait. Iraq is exporting overland via the newly reopened Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline thanks to a new agreement tween Iraq and Kurdistan in March 2026. This means that they can currently export 200000 barrels a day through Ceyhan port in Turkey, and are hoping to increase that to 500000 barrels. Ongoing discussions tween Iraq and Turkey in regard to developing new agreements that would include gas and oil products (the current deal is for crude only).
More on this :
Iraq exported 10 million barrels of oil through Strait of Hormuz in April (Baird Maritime - May 16, 2026)
The Gerald R Ford has finally arrived back home in Virginia after her extended 326 day deployment. The ship has faced a few problems during her time at sea and will be entering a period of maintenance slated to last at least 12 to 24 months. She was welcomed home by families of the crew...and Pete Hegseth. Also arriving home was USS Mahan and USS Bainbridge. Another homecoming was for USS Winston S Churchill after her extended deployment arrived in Mayport, Florida.
More on this :
USS Gerald R. Ford and Strike Group Arrive Home Ending Record Deployment (Maritime Executive - May 16, 2026)
Now to the Straits and anchorages.....
Fairly quiet on the Strait of Hormuz. At time of writing, no incidents reported. However there are some very tight huddles off Khasab just inside the Strait.
Nice and quiet at Bab-el-Mandab this morning also, again at time of writing, no reported incidents
The main anchorages from Bahrain to Iraq are looking calm, several ships are in huddles again.......and Kharg Island is quiet, an Iranian tug called Karen 4 seems to be in the area where the oil slick was spotted last week
The Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras-al-Khaimah / Mina Saqr areas are very busy as always, large groups of ships with the usual "sheep dog" Iranian ekranoplan and patrol boats keeping them close quartered
And on the outside of the Strait of Hormuz, also very busy from Dibba anchorage right down to Sohar anchorage. The ports of Khor Fakkan (containership / cargo) and Fujairah (oil / gases / oil products) are both highly active...again with the "sheep dog" Iranian herders nearby.
CMA CGM San Antonio and her crew are still unaccounted for, it is 12 days since she was last seen on AIS.
That's it for today, back in the morning.