US-Iran ceasefire will not prompt ‘mass exodus’ of ships through strait of Hormuz, say analysts

Estimated 2,000 ships, including oil and gas tankers and cruise liners, remain trapped in the Persian Gulf since start of war

There will be no “mass exodus” of ships through the strait of Hormuz, according to shipping analysts, despite the agreement of a two-week conditional ceasefire between the US and Iran and provisions for a temporary reopening of the crucial maritime channel.

The ceasefire agreement “doesn’t change the situation in the sense that Iran is still in control,” said Richard Meade, the editor-in-chief at maritime data provider Lloyd’s List Intelligence. “It still requires ships to essentially seek permission, and that’s the key. That means that nothing has changed – no permission, no transit.”