A Turkish-owned ship that had been waiting near Iran has been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after Ankara secured permission from Tehran, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said.
Speaking to Turkish media on March 12, with the remarks released a day later, Uraloğlu said Türkiye issued the highest-level security alert for the strait and was maintaining contact with Iranian officials regarding the 14 other Turkish-owned vessels still in the area.
“Fifteen ships with Turkish owners were in the region. We received authorization from the Iranian authorities for one vessel that had used an Iranian port, and it was able to pass,” Uraloğlu said.
The Transport Ministry said the vessel that transited the strait was the “Rozana,” adding that Turkish-owned ships in the area carry a total of 171 crew members.
The ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has effectively halted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving tankers and other vessels stranded and raising concerns about disruptions to global energy supplies.
Separately, the ministry said Turkish Airlines and AJet suspended flights to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain and Dammam until March 19, while flights to Iran were canceled until March 20.
Pegasus Airlines also halted flights to Kuwait, Bahrain, Doha, Amman, Beirut, Iraq, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah until March 23, and suspended flights to Iran until March 28.
Turkish Airlines has meanwhile increased flights to Oman, the ministry said, adding that 76 flights have been diverted to Türkiye since the start of the war on Feb. 28.
Meanwhile, the second captain of one of the ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, Çağrı Kaynak, described the tense conditions at sea in remarks to Turkish private broadcaster NTV, saying missiles could be seen passing nearby.
Kaynak said the vessel had been at Kuwait’s Shuaiba Port on Feb. 8 and experienced severe technical disruptions after leaving.
He added that the crew currently has sufficient supplies despite the uncertainty.
