Malaysia’s prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday he had spoken to the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Turkey and other regional countries and that Malaysian vessels were now being allowed to pass through the strait of Hormuz.
In a televised address, Anwar thanked Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, for allowing the passage of Malaysian ships. “We are now in the process of releasing the Malaysian oil tankers and the workers involved so that they may continue their journey home,” he said.
Malaysia, despite being an oil-producing nation, is highly dependent on the oil passing through the strait, with approximately 50% of the country’s oil supply transported through the waterway.
“For us now, we are compelled to manage the situation because the effects of the blockade at the strait of Hormuz, the war, and the halted supply of oil and gas all have an impact on us,” Anwar said.
A trickle of cargo ships and tankers – most of them Iranian, but some from Thailand and China – have made it through the strait of Hormuz since Iranian forces in effect blocked the crucial trade route in retaliation against US and Israel strikes.
Earlier this week, a Thai oil tanker safely passed through the strait after diplomatic coordination between Thailand and Iran. It was not required to pay to escape the blockade, a Thai official and the owner of the vessel said on Wednesday.
The Bangchak Corporation-owned tanker crossed the strategic waterway on Monday after successful talks between Thai foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Iran’s ambassador to Thailand.
At least two Chinese-owned liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers have also reportedly transited through the strait. A Chinese-owned containership – the Newvoyager – also transited the waterway after making a payment to Iranian authorities, Lloyd’s List reported.
A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the strait earlier this month has run aground off Iran’s Qeshm Island, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said on Friday.
Thailand said 20 crew members were rescued by the Omani navy, while three were missing after an explosion in the stern of the ship, Mayuree Naree, caused a fire in the engine room.
The UK has in recent days offered to host an international security summit to draw up a “viable, collective plan” to reopen the strait of Hormuz as economic fallout from the Iran conflict continues.
Defence chiefs have been discussing how they could unblock the vital shipping lane, through which about 20% of global oil supplies usually pass, as the impacts of the war continue to reverberate globally.
