Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. [Altaf Qadri/AP]
Two cargo ships linked to Greek interests were the first to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the United States’ war with Iran.
According to data from Kpler, a data and market analysis company that owns MarineTraffic, the Daytona Beach, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, was the first vessel to cross the strait at 9.59 a.m. Greek time, having sailed from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. It was followed a few hours later, at 11.44 a.m., by the cargo ship NJ Earth, which flies the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
As of noon on Wednesday, maritime navigation sites showed both vessels traveling east after passing through the strait.
Analysts cautious
Shipowners and international analysts remain wary of developments in commercial traffic through the sea passage that, before the conflict, carried about 20% of the world’s oil.
According to MarineTraffic, hundreds of ships remain stranded at the two entrances to the Strait of Hormuz, including 426 tankers, 34 LPG carriers and 19 LNG carriers. In the wider Persian Gulf region, as many as 800 commercial ships are estimated to be anchored.
“NJ Earth’s transit may be an early sign of movement, but it is still too soon to tell whether this reflects a broader ceasefire-driven reopening or a previously approved exception,” said Ana Subasic, a trade risk analyst at Kpler.
“While we expect more crossings in the coming days, this first transit should be interpreted with caution. It suggests that passage may be possible, but security and legal risks should be closely monitored. Traffic is unlikely to resume all at once,” she added.
In the past six weeks, traffic at one of the world’s busiest energy hubs has fallen dramatically, compared with roughly 135 ships that used to pass through daily in peacetime. According to the International Maritime Organization, at the end of March some 20,000 seafarers were stranded in the Persian Gulf, facing the threat of missiles and drones, supply shortages and mounting psychological strain.
No one can predict what will happen in the coming days, and shipowners say insurance and security companies are taking a wait-and-see approach.
Despite the de facto blockade of Hormuz in recent weeks, crossings have continued. In addition to Iranian vessels, tankers and cargo ships linked to Chinese interests have been passing through, along with ships from Tehran’s so-called shadow fleet, whose owners are under Western sanctions. According to Kpler, in the second half of March Iran exported more than 16 million barrels of oil from the Persian Gulf, with China remaining the largest buyer.