Today's updates on the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandab, all of the anchorages inside and outside the Persian Gulf.....plus the problematic Jones Act causing issues for the US, another land link tween the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, Iranian tankers bypassing the USN and the heightened threat after the nuclear reactor attack (mentioned above but in more detail and possibly why Fujairah went dark)
The Jones Act of 1920 has reared its ugly side again with the conflict in Iran and, specifically, the lack of US flagged vessels. The gist of the Jones Act is (and I am sure I will be corrected if necessary), only US flagged ships can call into US ports consecutively (ie a ship flagged as US can call into the port of Miami and then go to Mobile without having to go to a foreign port inbetween). Foreign flagged ships have to sail to a foreign port tween each US port call unless they receive a waiver from the US government. The Act is certainly an understandable piece of legislation, however it is not practical especially in times of war and when you do not have a large fleet of ships that you can depend on. The Iran conflict and the problems with the Strait of Homuz has once again highlighted the downsides of the Act...
The debate over the Jones Act highlights the energy-freedom aspect of the national security/energy security connection.
The U.S. has a fleet of only 190 ocean-going ships, both Jones Act-compliant and non-compliant. It has only one Jones Act LNG carrier, operating under a provision that allows gas shipments from the mainland to Puerto Rico. It has no other LNG carriers to handle the roughly 15 billion cubic feet per day of exported gas, which accounts for 25 percent of the world's LNG trade.
This is a $60+ billion business that generates $8+ billion in U.S. tax revenues. What happens to this business if the owners of LNG carriers elect to boycott the U.S.?
A tiny U.S.-flag oil tanker fleet risks the export of the net four million barrels per day of oil we produce. Furthermore, we import about eight million barrels of oil per day to feed our refineries. Could the U.S. be held hostage by an adversary?
Our national and energy security are at risk because we lack a shipping fleet guaranteeing our energy freedom. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted the critical role shipping plays in keeping the global economy operating and how a lack of ships can magnify that risk for countries.
The U.S. is at such a risk. It's time to correct this vulnerability.
The reason why the Jones Act is pertinent to the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the Iranian war is that there are US flagged ships still stranded within the Persian Gulf, those ships are now essentially out of service as a result. The current conflict with Iran is the largest oil shock in recent history, the knock on effect is that as much as the US has stepped up production of crude and oil products (which doesn't help everyone due to the US crude being lighter than the ME crude), there is a shortage of US flagged ships that can go from US port to US port direct. Waivers for foreign flagged ships are harder to come by as a result of some "difficult" intra-country relations in recent months.
More on that here :
National Security Requires Energy Security - The lack of a sizeable ocean-going fleet puts the U.S. at risk. (Maritime Executive - May 17, 2026)
Iran, on the other hand, have a significant number of tankers, many are empty and are seemingly able to transit the Strait of Hormuz with ease despite the USN blockade. Although Kharg Island has made a temporary stop on loading (due to an ongoing threat of attack) there are several other oil terminal ports along the Iranian coast which are still able to load crude, oil products and gases and then used as floating storage. There does not appear to be a shortage of storage both on land or using older VLCC's for the purpose.
One oil product tanker, called Pegasus, has crossed the USN blockade several times and made transit of the Strait at least 3 times....yet she was on the blacklist during Biden's tenure. She is currently in the Al Widiyyat anchorage (last seen on AIS May 15, 2026)
More on the Iranian tankers :
Iran's Empty Tankers are Still Running Blockade, But Loadings Have Stopped (Maritime Executive - May 17, 2026)
Tensions are certainly growing across the region in regard to potential restart of hostilities. The drone attack on the nuclear power plant (as already mentioned in the thread yesterday) has brought about a sense of unease, not least in areas where the region's major assets are....such as Fujairah that went dark and appeared to have been totally evacuated yesterday. Fujairah is, of course, one end of a very important pipeline network and an essential part of keeping the crude flowing out of the Persian Gulf without depending on the Strait of Hormuz. Further damage to the complex would set things back significantly. The port is still dark this morning, along with the Naval port further up the coast.
The four South Korean-built nuclear reactors at Barakah generate about 25% of the UAE’s total energy consumption, and are very heavily defended. The reactors were also constructed to withstand physical attacks.
Diplomatically, negotiations between Iran and the United States and Iran in Islamabad have been at an impasse for about a week, with President Trump’s visit to China a cause to delay any kinetic action. But with the talks in Beijing now over, with no obvious output regarding the ceasefire in Iran, the United States has in effect cleared the decks for its next move to resolve the crisis – one option being a resumption of military operations against Iran if there is not a greater willingness to negotiate.
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Whether a move to break the ceasefire comes from Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or the United States, is anybody’s guess - the likelihood of it occurring is raised and currently very high.
For most parties to the conflict, maintenance of the current status quo cannot extend for many more weeks. The Iranian population is already feeling the impact of the blockade at street level. The plight of ordinary Iranians is unlikely though to move the Iranian hardline leadership. With Iran holding 125 million barrels of oil afloat, equivalent to about three months of export production, the Iranian leadership may think it can tough it out. But many of the protagonists may not want to wait that long, and hence a return to war may not be too far distant.
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In this context, the US Air Force is continuing to make regular B-1B strategic bomber sorties from RAF Fairford in the West of England across France to the Eastern Mediterranean, employing the same flight paths that would be used should the ceasefire collapse and US attacks on Iran resume. These training flights not only keep flight crews well-prepared, but also generate a ‘normal’ level of activity which would make it difficult to identify an imminent attack. There are currently 15 B1-B Lancers at RAF Fairford, out of an operational fleet of about 40 aircraft in Global Strike Command. Open source aircraft trackers are also reporting heavy transport aircraft movements across Europe towards the Middle East.
More on this :
The Odds of Renewed Hostilities With Iran are Increasing (Maritime Executive - May 17, 2026)
Local media are giving a less optimistic view...
What if disruption in Strait of Hormuz never ends? World adapts to “new normal” (Gulf News - May 18, 2026)
Dubai’s new ‘Green Corridor’ turns critical trade route amid sea disruptions (Gulf News - May 17, 2026)
So not really looking brilliant for the furture of the Strait of Hormuz, though the Gulf States should be commended on getting alternative ways and means to get their produce out of the Persian Gulf and avoiding the Strait up and running so quickly when under such tense and difficult circumstances.
On to the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandab and anchorages....
Strait of Hormuz is very quiet again this morning in relation to AIS movements, that is not to say that there could be some dark movements happening. The Bab-el-Mandab is very busy and flowing freely (at time of writing, no incidents have been recorded)
Persian Gulf anchorages remain busy, very little has changed...Doha is still light and the area of Das Island (tween Doha and Sharjah) is becoming busier with mainly VLCC traffic
On the Gulf of Oman side, Fujairah is still largely quiet or perhaps dark. The rest of the main anchorages and ports are busy and with heavy clusters
As before, no update on CMA CGM San Antonio.
That's it for today....back tomorrow.
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Thank you to those who have shown interest in these updates, they take me a couple of hours or so to collate and write up with sources from local media, international industry media and various government departments in the region. None is sourced from any form of social media as I like to cross check everything from official sources within the countries concerned before posting)