The "passing plan" for the Hormuz Strait is now in effect: ships from traditional US allies such as France and Japan are passing through for the first time.

After more than a month since the outbreak of the Iran War, there were signs of loosening in the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. A French container ship and a Japanese-owned oil and gas transport ship successfully crossed this key waterway, becoming the first known ships associated with traditional US allies to pass through, marking a new stage in the impact of this crisis on global energy shipping. According to CCTV News on Saturday, Mitsui & Co., a Japanese shipping company, revealed that one of its affiliated companies' liquefied petroleum gas ship had passed through the Strait of Hormuz on April 4th. This was the second Japanese-related ship to leave the Gulf since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively blockaded. According to a previous article by Wall Street View, a French container ship, the CMA CGM Kribi, sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, becoming the first known ship related to Western Europe to complete the passage since the outbreak of the war. Turkey also released a more explicit signal of "resumption of passage." CCTV News quoted Abdul Qadir Uralolu, the Turkish Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, as saying that a second Turkish ship had successfully passed through the strait recently. Uralolu revealed that since the US-Iran conflict erupted, a total of 15 Turkish-owned ships had been stranded near the Strait of Hormuz. The first ship was granted permission to pass through by Iran in mid-March, and the second ship successfully completed passage in the past few days. These developments occurred after France and Japan called for a ceasefire earlier this week. French President Macron emphasized the need to reopen the strait and stated that this goal could only be achieved after the bombings ceased. However, it is currently unclear whether this passage is the result of government diplomatic efforts or temporary arrangements reached through negotiations by businesses and intermediaries. Iran's passage mechanism gradually taking shape: charging "tolls" based on "friendliness" in five tiers Since the massive military actions by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28 and Iran's subsequent retaliation, maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has been almost completely halted, with only a few ships successfully passing through, most of which were related to countries friendly to Tehran. Against this backdrop, a set of passage mechanisms approved by Iran in advance has gradually taken shape. According to The Paper news, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has started to charge "passage fees" to transit ships through the Strait of Hormuz and prioritize the passage of ships from countries it deems as "friendly." Ships considered part of hostile camps may face threats or even attacks. Reports cited sources indicating that Iran has established a tiered mechanism, divided into five levels, with the most favorable conditions given to countries that are friendlier towards Iran. In general, negotiations for oil tanker passage fees start at around $1 per barrel, paid in Chinese yuan or stablecoins. So far, most of the ships passing through the strait have come from countries friendly to Iran. For example, Pakistan has negotiated a bilateral agreement for safe passage. On the Turkish side, Uralolu revealed that 15 Turkish-owned ships had been stranded near the strait since the conflict erupted, with the first ship granted permission by Iran in mid-March and the second ship completing passage recently. Southern route emerges, bypassing Iranian-controlled waterways In addition to the expansion of the range of countries allowed to pass through, there have been new changes in the actual routes taken by ships. While most ships were observed to pass along routes close to the Iranian coast, in recent days a new route along the Oman coastline has emerged. According to a previous article by Wall Street View, on April 2, three ships with information indicating Omani registrationtwo large oil tankers and an LNG shipappeared to be traveling along the Oman coastline, exiting to the east through the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, deviating significantly from the northern route that most ships had been using, which involved passing between Iran's Larak Island and Qeshm Island. Subsequently, the Sohar LNG ship and two other large oil tankers also followed this route along the Oman coastline. All three Omani ships are operated by Oman Ship Management Company. According to Equasis database, the management of the Sohar ship is also under this company, and the owner of Energy Spring LNG Carrier SA is the same as the contact for the management company, which, according to Mitsui's documents, is a joint venture company in which Mitsui owns a 50% share. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. At a mechanistic level, Wall Street View previously mentioned that Iran is drafting an agreement with Oman to monitor the navigational situation in the Strait of Hormuz. The navigation activities of vessels passing through the strait should be conducted under the joint supervision and coordination of Iran and Oman. However, Oman has not yet clearly stated its position. There is still uncertainty in the situation, and the ability to continue expanding the range of passage remains to be observed Although French, Japanese, and Turkish ships have passed through one after another, it is still unclear whether this passage represents a sustainable arrangement. Vessel tracking data shows that the Sohar ship is currently in the waters near Muscat, and after changing its destination to the Qalhat LNG export terminal in Oman, the ship does not appear to be loading cargo and has been cruising in the Persian Gulf for the past month. Both France and Japan are traditional US allies, and their ships were able to pass through, contrasting with the previous pattern where most passing ships were from countries friendly to Iran. It is not yet clear whether this change is a signal of diplomatic breakthrough or a unique commercial arrangement, as there is no consensus among the parties. With the conflict ongoing and differing statements from various sides, whether the Strait of Hormuz can achieve broader and more stable navigation is still a core variable of close market attention. This article is reproduced from "Wall Street View", written by Bu Shuqing; edited by Liu Jiayin for GMTEight.