Iran orders ships to pre-register and pay fees to transit the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has moved beyond ad hoc pressure on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and into a more formal approval-and-fee regime, according to shipping industry reporting and statements from the International Maritime Organization. The immediate claim circulating on social media on May 22 — that vessels may need to pre-register and pay fees — matches a broader pattern already documented this month by maritime outlets and challenged by the IMO. What remains less clear is the exact tariff schedule, because Iran has not publicly set out a full fee table in the sources reviewed. ### Where does the pre-registration claim come from? AGBI reported on May 8 that Iran had established a government body called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, or PGSA, to approve ship transits and collect tolls from vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. That report said the authority had circulated an email application process requiring ships to disclose ownership, insurance, crew manifests and intended routes, and cited Iranian state broadcaster IRIB as saying the mechanism had to be used to obtain passage authorization. Lloyd’s List also reported this week that the PGSA was still insisting that transits through the strait required its approval, even as U.S.-Iran negotiations continued. AGBI cited Lloyd’s List editor-in-chief Richard Meade as saying ship operators who asked for details were sent an application form seeking ownership, insurance, crew and routing information. (agbi.com) ### Is there evidence that ships are being charged? AGBI reported that vessels had paid as much as $2 million to obtain transit approval, citing Lloyd’s List, but said Iran had not publicly disclosed a formal tariff structure or payment mechanism. That means the existence of a fee demand has been reported by shipping specialists, while the exact schedule and enforcement terms remain opaque in public documentation reviewed for this piece. (lloydslist.com) Fars, an Iranian outlet surfaced in search results, separately described officials as seeking compensation for security patrols, escorts and search-and-rescue services in the strait. That aligns with Tehran’s public framing of the charges as payment for services rather than a simple toll, though the full legal text and operating rules were not available in accessible official sources reviewed here. (agbi.com) ### Why is this so contentious under maritime law? The International Maritime Organization has taken a direct position against fees or discriminatory transit conditions in Hormuz. In remarks published on April 17, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the principle of freedom of navigation was “not negotiable” and that there was “no legal basis for any country to introduce payments or impose tolls, fees, or discriminatory conditions on straits.” (farsnews.ir) The IMO also said its Council, meeting in London on March 18-19, reiterated that navigational rights and freedoms of merchant and commercial vessels in accordance with international law must be respected. The Council condemned threats and attacks against vessels and the purported closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and called for an internationally coordinated security response. (imo.org) ### How abnormal is the shipping situation right now? The IMO said on April 17 that about 20,000 seafarers and nearly 2,000 vessels remained trapped in the Persian Gulf because of the conflict around the strait. The agency has since been working on a safe-passage and evacuation framework with regional countries, including Iran. (imo.org) The IMO’s incident tracker listed 38 confirmed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters as of May 11, including detentions, seizures, damage to merchant ships and 11 seafarer fatalities. Those figures help explain why shipowners, insurers and traders are treating any new approval or fee rule as more than a paperwork issue. (imo.org) ### What can be said with confidence today? The clearest verified point is that Iran has been reported by shipping specialists to be formalizing a system under which ships seek approval before transiting Hormuz and may face transit-related charges. The clearest verified counterpoint is that the IMO says there is no legal basis for tolls or discriminatory conditions in an international strait. (imo.org) The next hard evidence is likely to come from either an Iranian publication of the operating rules or further IMO and shipping-industry updates on how the PGSA is being enforced in practice. IMO’s Hormuz incident pages and council updates remain the most authoritative public markers for changes affecting merchant shipping in the waterway. (imo.org) (agbi.com)