Financial Times reports twice-daily transit slots recommended

A US Navy sailor stands on the deck of the USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. [AFP/Yonhap]
A US Navy sailor stands on the deck of the USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. [AFP/Yonhap]

The US military has scaled back its escort windows for merchant vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to twice a day in response to intensifying Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, the Financial Times reported Saturday (local time).

Analysts say the move reflects a cost-efficiency calculation as the US-Iran standoff over control of the strait shows no sign of ending soon.

According to the Financial Times, as cited by Yonhap, the US military has restricted authorized transit windows to two specific time slots per day since earlier this month. The policy was communicated in an email from the US Navy Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) to maritime advisers.

"We are currently providing recommended transit times that vary by date," NCAGS said in the email. "While transiting during these windows is not mandatory, we recommend doing so to receive the best possible support."

In a separate email, NCAGS added that "nighttime has not been proven to be the safest transit window of the day."

Since May, the US military has provided aerial defense support to vessels sailing along the Omani coast south of the strait in an effort to deter Iranian attacks and keep global oil supply flowing through the Gulf.

Under the arrangement, ship owners notify NCAGS before entering the strait, then follow US-assigned coordinates and transit — primarily at night — under the protection of US aircraft.

The Financial Times noted that the US decision to narrow escort windows coincided with an escalation in Iranian attacks on merchant vessels.

Iran announced Wednesday that it had attacked 10 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz — the largest assault on shipping since the war began — in retaliation for the United States sinking five Iranian oil tankers.

Since the war broke out in February, roughly 70 merchant vessels have been attacked by Iran. Shipping broker Clarksons said Monday that disruptions to vessel operations caused by tensions in the strait could persist through the second half of next year.

Joshua Tallis, a researcher at the US think tank Center for Naval Analyses, said advanced US military aircraft used for escort operations cost between $25,000 and $75,000 per hour to operate. He described the narrowing of escort windows as an effort to manage the cost of defending the southern Hormuz route on a sustained, open-ended basis.

John Miller, a former commander of US naval forces in the Middle East, also said providing round-the-clock aerial cover for ships was extremely difficult, adding, "Guidelines will need to be established for this."


dandy@heraldcorp.com