The Hormuz Strait has reached a post-war record high in terms of navigation volume.

According to ship tracking data compiled by the industry, the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz has increased in the past week, with the seven-day rolling average of ships passing through reaching the highest level since the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict at the end of February as of Friday. As more and more ships cross the strait through negotiations between various countries and Iran to ensure the passage of their ships, including those ships not directly associated with Iran, there has been an increase in traffic. On Friday, a French container ship and a Japanese-owned liquefied petroleum gas ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz, seemingly the first occurrence of such passage since the critical waterway was blocked due to the US-Iran conflict. Data shows that from Friday morning to late Saturday, a total of 13 ships passed through the strait, with 10 sailing out of the Persian Gulf and 3 entering from the Arabian Sea. Although the resumption of traffic through the strait is encouraging, it is still a small improvement compared to the pre-war levels on February 28th. During normal times, about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz daily. Iran has taken action to strengthen its control over the waterway, setting up a fee system and directing most ships to follow specific routes closer to its borders. In the past day, all recorded passing ships passed through the "northern route" between the islands of Larak and Qeshm. The latest passing ships include a French container ship and a Japanese-owned liquefied petroleum gas transportation ship, seemingly the first occurrence of such passage since the start of the war. It is not clear whether these passages are the result of diplomatic efforts or negotiations between shipping companies and intermediaries. According to two informed sources, a French container ship named CMA CGM Kribi sailed out of the strait on Friday. This is the first known vessel with ties to Western Europe to pass through the strait since the outbreak of the war over a month ago. Before entering Iranian waters, the French ship changed its Automatic Identification System destination information to "Owner: France," indicating its nationality to Iranian authorities. On the same day, French President Macron stated that only diplomatic efforts, not military action, can open the Strait of Hormuz. The Japanese shipping company Mitsui confirmed on Friday that a liquefied petroleum gas ship belonging to its affiliated company passed through the Strait of Hormuz before April 4th local time. This is the second Japanese ship and the first Japanese liquefied gas ship to pass through the strait since it was actually blocked, and later on Friday Turkey also announced that a Turkish ship recently left the strait. Iran's "new passage mechanism" is emerging. Prior to this, most ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz came from Iran or friendly countries to Iran. Some countries had bilateral agreements with Iran on safe passage, and most ships were observed to be following the "northern route" along the coast of Iran, but recently some interesting changes have appeared in the shipping situation in the Strait of Hormuz. First, some ships opened up another route along the coast of Oman. According to Caixin, three ships seemed to be crossing the "southern route" of the Strait of Hormuz at that time. At the same time, Iran is taking measures to strengthen its control over the strait in the long term, working to establish a fee system for this crucial waterway for world oil and gas supply. This has startled Gulf Arab countries that rely on this waterway for exports. Iran has stated that it can work with Oman to jointly manage a new system, although Oman has not yet made a clear statement. According to informed sources, Iran has established a stratified mechanism for passage through the strait, divided into five levels, with countries more friendly to Iran likely to receive more favorable conditions. This new system requires ship operators to contact intermediary organizations associated with the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, providing sensitive data including details of ship ownership, crew lists, and Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. The joint establishment of the strait passage mechanism by Iran and Oman is not sudden. According to CCTV News, Omani Foreign Minister Badr recently stated on social media that Oman is intensifying efforts to establish a safe passage mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz. This article was taken from Caixin, GMT8 Editor: Chen Yufeng.