(Left to right) U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Kaine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2026.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | getty images
The first ship has passed through the Strait of Hormuz following a two-week ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US, the ship-tracking service said. MarineTraffic said Wednesday.
But experts and industry professionals say that even more than 12 hours after the ceasefire, overall traffic through the vital waterway has not recovered from the slow pace experienced during the war.
Iranian state news agency Fars said on Wednesday morning that oil tanker traffic through the strait has been completely halted following the Israeli attack on Lebanon, which has shaken the fragile ceasefire.
The two vessels identified by MarineTraffic are described as bulk carriers, carrying dry cargo, not oil.
Despite Iran’s assurances on Tuesday that ships will be able to navigate safely in the strait during the ceasefire, uncertainty and confusion remain high in the maritime industry.
This confusion stems in part from Tehran’s warning that passage through the strait is only possible “with coordination with Iran’s armed forces and due consideration of technical limitations.”
A marine insurance executive, who did not want to be named on the record, told CNBC that the possibility of Iran imposing heavy tolls on ships is a major sticking point.
According to the Financial Times, Iran is planning to demand that shipping companies pay tolls in cryptocurrency for their oil tankers to pass through the strait. informed Wednesday morning.
Iran will also inspect each ship for weapons, the FT reported, citing a spokesman for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters Association.
Meanwhile, shipping companies largely remain in a holding pattern.
“We have no information about how we can transit the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire… We are not in contact with the Iranian authorities,” a shipping executive behind the ships currently stuck in the Persian Gulf told CNBC.
“What is most important to us is the safety of our crew members, and if we are making the decision to transit, we need absolute guarantees about the safety of our crew members,” the executive said.
A smartphone displays the MarineTraffic app showing several ship beacons near the Strait of Hormuz with a satellite view in the background in Creteil, France, on April 8, 2026.
Samuel Boivin Nurfoto | getty images
US officials, claiming that the ceasefire agreement represents a complete victory over Iran, insisted on Wednesday morning that the path was clear for the ships.
“The strait is open,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press briefing. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane, asked at the same briefing whether the strait was open yet, said, “Based on diplomatic conversations I believe so.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said in a satya social post Overnight that the US would “help build traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.”
He wrote, “There will be a lot of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process.” “We’ll be prepared with all kinds of supplies, and just hanging around to make sure everything goes well. I’m confident it will.”
The post represents a stunning reversal from Trump, who days earlier had threatened to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure unless its regime agreed to “open up the fuckin’ strait.” On Tuesday morning, Trump threatened that “the entire civilization will die” by Tuesday night if the US and Iran could not reach a deal to reopen the strait.
Less than two hours before his deadline, Trump announced that he would suspend the planned strikes for two weeks, “on the condition that the Islamic Republic of Iran agrees to the full, immediate and secure opening of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Marinetraffic said in an X post on Wednesday morning that two ships – the Greek-owned NJ Earth and the Liberian-flagged Daytona Beach – transited the strait overnight.
These ship movements do not necessarily represent post-armistice success.
According to Kepler data, before the war 100 to 120 commercial ships, mostly oil tankers, passed through the strait every day. Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping reduced traffic to only a few ships per day, effectively closing the main route for 20% of the world’s oil supply.
Ship transit through the strait had begun to pick up before the armistice. According to Lloyd’s List data, about 72 ships made the voyage during the week of March 30 to April 5. Data showed it was the busiest week since the war began on 28 February, although traffic was still 90% below normal volumes.
According to Lloyd’s List, about 80% of those ships were linked to Iran and 13% were owned by China.
MarineTraffic’s post notes that hundreds of ships have been stranded in the area since the war began.
Matt Smith, an oil analyst at Kepler, said traffic has not picked up since the ceasefire was announced.
“We may only see 10-15 (ships),” Smith told CNBC, noting that Iran is still vetting who passes through: “That would be similar to the pace seen in recent days.”
Shipping company Maersk celebrated the ceasefire and the possibility of reopening the strait in a statement, but said, “The information and details available are very limited and we are working diligently to gain further clarity.”
“The ceasefire may create transit opportunities, but it does not yet provide full maritime certainty and we need to understand all possible scenarios associated with it,” the company statement said.
“At this point, we take a cautious approach and we are not making any changes to specific services,” it said.