Around 80 Mines Need Clearing in Strait of Hormuz for Safe Shipping

LONDON, June 19. /TASS/. Around 80 mines need to be cleared from the Strait of Hormuz before normal shipping operations can resume, Phil Belcher, the marine director at Intertanko, the association of independent tanker owners, said.

"The main route through the middle of the strait of Hormuz, that’s closed, that’s dangerous. The latest figure we had was that there’s 80 mines in the Strait of Hormuz. It’s an enormous amount and it’s going to take some time to clear," he told The Guardian. The newspaper estimates that about 600 vessels are currently in the area.

Since the outbreak of the conflict between the United States and Iran, ships have avoided the official shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz for security reasons. Iran has proposed an alternative route north of the channel, near Larak Island. Some vessels have instead transited south of the strait, along the northern coast of Oman.

A total of 25 commercial vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on June 18, the highest daily figure since April 18.

Earlier this week, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. On June 17, US President Donald Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz was already partially open and would be fully restored to shipping within the next day or two.