U.S. Navy Continues to Advise Commercial Ships to Use Southern Route in the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. Navy has continued to advise commercial vessels to use the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iran repeatedly urging ships to switch to a northern route closer to Iran’s coast. According to Odaily, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), based in Bahrain, said in a notice issued the same day that the security threat level in and around the Strait of Hormuz remains at a severe level. JMIC said the southern route has been expanded and remains open to all vessels. The notice recommended that ships coordinate with the Combined Maritime Forces when transiting the strait, while noting that coordination is not mandatory and vessels can pass through the southern route without it. The report said that since July 7, no large vessels with their positioning systems turned on have been observed transiting the southern route near Oman’s coast. As of July 10, no commercial ships had publicly stated an intention to use the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz.