Trump Claims "20 Oil Tankers Passed Through Hormuz"...Industry Raises Doubts [US-Iran War]

Only 13 Pakistani-Flagged Ships, 8 of Them Oil Tankers
Unlikely for 20 Vessels to Transit in the Short Term

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Iran gave him a "gift" by allowing 20 large oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but skepticism is mounting across the shipping industry regarding this statement.

On March 29 (local time), President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran had permitted the passage to demonstrate its seriousness in negotiations. He repeated the same remark in an interview with the Financial Times (FT) that day. He also asserted that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Majlis (parliament), had approved the move. Previously, President Trump had stated that Iran allowed 10 oil tankers flying the Pakistani flag to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a "gift" to the White House.

Map of the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On March 30, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also reiterated President Trump's remark from the previous day, stating that 20 oil tankers would pass through the Strait of Hormuz within a few days.

However, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence, a maritime data provider, there are only 13 large ocean-going vessels registered under the Pakistani flag worldwide. Of these, only 8 are oil tankers, while 5 are bulk carriers transporting grain, coal, or other goods. Furthermore, these vessels are not currently stranded in the Gulf region of the Middle East, and only 3 are located in the Gulf of Oman, across from the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump's claim that 10 oil tankers flying the Pakistani flag have passed through the Strait of Hormuz is also unclear. According to the FT, only 2 Pakistani-flagged vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past two weeks. Additionally, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker chartered by Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) also transited the strait.

Although there are discussions about some vessels reflagging to Pakistan, industry insiders believe it is unlikely that the number President Trump mentioned—20 vessels—will be achieved in the short term. This is because, following the current situation, there is no significant advantage in choosing Pakistani registration.

Iran, which has blocked the Strait of Hormuz—a passageway for 20% of the world’s crude oil shipments—has been selectively allowing a small number of vessels to use an alternative route bypassing Larak Island. However, ships using this detour are limited to those registered in countries with close ties to Iran. Among foreign vessels, only ships registered in India, Greece, and Pakistan have passed through the strait in this manner.

According to vessel tracking site MarineTraffic, two container ships operated by COSCO, China’s state-owned shipping company and the world’s fourth-largest container carrier, passed through the Strait of Hormuz the previous day. These vessels had attempted to pass through the strait on March 27, but were turned back by Iranian military authorities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.