Strait of Hormuz: Belgian shipping group says blocked ships’ crews are safe
Belgian shipping company CMB.TECH still has “a few” ships that are unable to leave the Persian Gulf due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, its CEO said on Tuesday when presenting the company’s quarterly results.
“The crews are safe and well,” Alexander Saverys said. This is the first time since the start of the blockade that the company has commented on the situation regarding its fleet. “We have experienced operational disruptions and are in close contact with the Nautical Operational Cluster in Antwerp,” Saverys added.
Since the waterway was blocked, 29 VLCCs – the world’s largest oil tankers – have passed through, along with 14 Suezmax-class vessels. “Some ships can get away due to their political connections with, for example, India or China,” Saverys said. “Others are taking a huge risk by trying to sail under the radar. My company would never do that.”
Profits up
The Antwerp group’s first quarter was strong, with a net profit of just under 320 million euros.
“But to say that the war in Iran is causing our profits to skyrocket is simply not true,” Saverys said. He points to the sale of older vessels, as well as a “historically strong spot market” and the addition of long-term charters, the leasing of ships for longer periods.
"Some ships can get away due to their political connections with, for example, India or China"
Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz following the US and Israeli air strikes on the country. Around a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supplies pass through this waterway, and the blockade is driving up energy prices.
NATO shift
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that NATO is discussing the possibility of assisting ships to navigate through the strait should it not have reopened by early July.
The idea is said to have received support from several member states but the necessary unanimous backing has not yet been achieved, the agency quotes a diplomat from a NATO member state as saying.
Such a move would mark a shift in the alliance’s strategy towards the US-Israeli war on Iran. Until now, allies have maintained that they only wish to become involved once fighting has ended and they can form a broad coalition that includes non-NATO countries.
#FlandersNewsService | Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab, Oman, 17 May 2026 © PHOTO AFP
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