Iranian Forces Threaten Sinokor with “Legal Action” for Hormuz Violations
Iran’s so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which claims jurisdiction over the Strait of Hormuz, has for the first time singled out one shipping company for “legal action.” It comes as Iran has intensified its actions over the past weeks against tankers and has been looking to interrupt the shuttle operations bringing crude out from the Gulf states.
In a posting on social media, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority asserts Sinokor Shipping Company has “committed the highest number of passage violations over the past three months.” The Iranians had asserted that they were contacting shipping companies, negotiating to prevent listing, or securing the removal of vessels from their so-called non-compliance list.
The Iranians are now warning that as of November 1, they will take unspecified “legal action” against all vessels related to Sinokor. They highlight that they have already taken what they termed “appropriate enforcement measures” against at least seven of Sinokor’s ships, i.e., they have been attacked while making transits using the southern Hormuz channel.
Sinokor, which is based in South Korea, has drawn attention this year after it launched a buying spree mostly of VLCCs, with reports it was financed by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. The company is led by what the Financial Times terms a "secretive Korean tycoon, Ga-Hyun Chung." Veson Nautical reports Sinokor acquired more than 70 crude oil tankers this year, with reports putting the total fleet between 80 and 90 owned tankers and many others under charter.
Sinokor has been very active in the shuttle operations, bringing crude out of the Persian Gulf to tankers waiting in the Gulf of Oman, as well as transporting crude oil cargoes internationally. Estimates based on data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence say that half of all the tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz are now linked to Sinokor.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority so far has only issued its list of non-compliant vessels, although it clearly has been targeting Saudi Arabia and Kuwait’s tanker operations without naming the companies. The latest online version of their list shows 125 vessels, although several have already been attacked.
Last week it asserted that it had taken an “enforcement action” against 40 vessels. It said only two vessels have fulfilled the requirements to be removed from the list, while it was negotiating with 19 others, and 30 more vessels had not responded to notices and could be added to the list.
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Today’s declaration warns cargo owners, beneficiaries, and insurance service providers. Iran has previously warned those groups not to send vessels through the Strait without permission or to support non-compliant vessels.
U.S. Central Command today refuted the IRGC Navy’s latest claims of control over the Strait. It repeated its statements that the U.S. has overseen the exporting of more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil since summer and that more than 3,000 commercial ships have made the transit since the summer. As of October 17, CENTCOM said U.S. forces had redirected 138 commercial vessels to ensure strict compliance with the blockade against Iran, while saying it continues to fully enforce the effort to stop vessels bound for Iran.
