Today's updates for the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandab, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman ports and anchorages.....and another VLCC seized by the USN, Iran's political messaging using drones and NATO ponder about entering the fray if things are not settled with the Strait of Hormuz by July 2026
First up...the USN has seized a VLCC, Skywave, as she crossed the Indian Ocean close to Sri Lanka. Said to be under a false flag and part of the shadow fleet, she was on her way back to Khor Fakkan from Quingdao. She had been loaded with Iranian oil at Kharg Island before hostilities began
The Wall Street Journal, in an exclusive report, is saying U.S. forces overnight seized an Iran-linked oil tanker while it was crossing the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon and U.S. commanders have not commented on the report, which was released by the newspaper on Tuesday afternoon.
The tanker is being identified as the Skywave (302,481 dwt), a shadow fleet tanker operating under a false flag. Built in 2005, the vessel is listed by Equasis as sold in March 2025 to an unidentified buyer. The reported sale coincides with the United States imposing sanctions on the tanker, then known as Blue Gulf. OFAC imposed sanctions on United Tankers (Marshall Islands) and Lake View Ship Management Private Limited (India) on March 31, 2025, for their involvement in the Iranian oil trade.
The U.S. at the time reported the tanker was registered in Palau. Equasis currently lists its registry as Comoros, a false flag, while other databases report the ship is now sailing under the flag of Botswana.
Current position :
More information here :
Report: U.S. Navy Has Seized Third Iranian Shadow Fleet Tanker (Maritime Executive - May 19, 2026)
NATO are in the midst of considering entering the fray to get the Strait of Hormuz dealt with if the stalemate continues into the summer. The French carrier Charles de Gaulle is in Djibouti along with her support ships. There are several other nations - both NATO and non-NATO who are repositioning ships into the area.
NATO is discussing the possibility of helping ships pass through the blocked Strait of Hormuz if the waterway isn’t reopened by early July, according to a senior official in the military alliance.
The idea has support from several members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but doesn’t yet have the necessary unanimous support, said a diplomat from a NATO country. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity. Leaders from NATO countries will meet in Ankara July 7-8.
“The political direction comes first, and then the formal planning happens after that,” said Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, when asked about the possibility at a Tuesday press conference. “Am I thinking about it? Absolutely.”
Such a move would represent a shift in the military alliance’s strategy toward the US-Israeli war in Iran. Thus far, allies have insisted they would only be involved in the strait once fighting has stopped and they can form a broad coalition that includes many non-NATO countries.
But economic woes are deepening, with the strait’s closure sending energy prices soaring and growth forecasts tumbling.
More on this :
NATO Weighing Hormuz Mission If Strait Crisis Drags Into Summer (gCaptain - May 19, 2026)
Iran has been using drones as a way to send a political message to its neighbours in relation to their retaliative attacks on Iran......a little bit of "drone diplomacy" if you will.
Drone attacks mounted on Gulf states by Iran (or by Iranian proxies) appear to be part of the messaging taking place between Iran and its Gulf adversaries, as negotiations in a more diplomatic format take place separately between Iran and the United States in Islamabad.
Despite official denials, it now appears clear that both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have attacked infrastructure targets in Iran, in direct retaliation for Iranian attacks on similar targets in the Gulf countries. The Iranian attacks have often been quite accurate, targeting critical elements for example of oil and gas refining plants which are difficult to replace and which are critical to operational processes, rather than merely targeting structures which burn spectacularly without causing long-term damage.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have responded in kind, warning Iran in advance of what they are going to do, and why – so as to deter further Iranian attacks. This is a very different type of targeting regime than that employed by Israel and the United States, where the attack plan is shaped by strategic objectives.
Iran has attempted to disrupt this pattern of attacks by using proxies in Iraq to execute these attacks on its behalf. It now has been confirmed by the UAE that the drones launched at the Barakah nuclear reactor complex approached from the west but were fired from Iraq, meaning that the Houthi distancing from the current phase of the conflict is continuing, which is good news for mariners in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
More on this :
Iran's Drone Attacks Against Gulf Countries are Political Messaging (Maritime Executive - May 19, 2026)
The drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and UAE (as mentioned up thread) have now been confirmed as coming from Iraq. Besides the Israeli bases within Iraq who could, potentially launch false flag operations against the Gulf States, there are also Iranian proxy organisations and militias. These organisations and militias are linked in varying degree to Houthi, Hezbollah and Hamas. These organisations and militias were originally formed to fight Daesh but with the almost demise of Daesh they have started to align with Iranian backed organisations instead with a view to destabilise the Gulf region in the event of conflict tween Israel, US and Iran. Some of these militia groups have, in the past, been responsible for attacks on US bases, embassies and other infrastructure. Ultimately these groups could be far more dangerous to both US / Israeli and Gulf States interests, not least due to their nomadic behaviour.
- Kataib Hezbollah (KH): One of the most powerful and hardline Iran-backed groups. The US designates it a terrorist organisation. It has been repeatedly accused of attacks on US bases and diplomatic facilities.
- Asaib Ahl Al Haq (AAH): A powerful militia and political movement closely linked to Iran’s IRGC. It strongly opposes the US military presence in Iraq.
- Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba (HHN): Led by Akram Al Kaabi, the group openly aligns itself with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” and has operated in both Iraq and Syria.
- Badr Organization: One of the oldest and most influential Iran-linked groups in Iraq. Formed in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, it later became deeply embedded in Iraqi politics and security institutions.
- Kataib Sayyid Al Shuhada: A smaller but active Iran-backed militia involved in regional operations and part of the broader “Islamic Resistance in Iraq.”
- Kataib Al Imam Ali: Another Iran-linked armed faction operating under the PMF umbrella.
Among the most powerful Iran-aligned groups in Iraq are Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl Al Haq, Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba and the Badr Organization.
Several openly identify themselves as part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” and have repeatedly threatened the US, Israel and Gulf states.
More on this :
Inside Iraq’s Iran-backed militias: Tehran’s terror tools behind Barakah attack (Gulf News - May 19, 2026)
So now onto the Straits, anchorages and ports.
At time of writing there have been no incidents reported, the Straif of Hormuz seems to have some traffic movement this morning, the most it has shown for a few days
The Bab-el-Mandab Strait is free flowing and looking busy
The Persian Gulf ports and anchorages from Umm Qasr (Iraq) down to Doha (Qatar) are still very busy. Quite a bit of ship movements going on. Three of the larger ships that have been stuck since hostilities began are Ever Lovely, Ever Unicorn and Ever Lotus which are drifting on their anchors off the Dammam anchorage
The anchorages and ports from Mina Saqr down to Jebel Ali are again extremely congested with several close quarterd clusters of ships with their Iranian herders close by
Over of the other side, the Gulf of Oman.....Fujairah, Dibba and Khor Fakkan ports are all back in full action after being cleared of all shipping for the last few days, the anchorages for those ports along with Liwa, Sohar and Al Widyyat are all heavily congested once again
There are no further updates on the crew status in regard to CMA CGM San Antonio at time of writing.
That is it for now....more updates tomorrow