Ensuring the Strait of Hormuz is safe from mines could delay a return to normal shipping traffic by weeks following a deal to reopen the waterway, shipping and maritime security sources say.

The operation by conventional minesweepers and state-of-the-art underwater drones could continue for 40 to 50 days before many insurance, shipping or oil companies are confident enough to sail through, according to assessments from five Western maritime security sources.

That could potentially hold up tens of millions of barrels of oil, in addition to the oil supply from the Gulf already blocked since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, according to estimates based on pre-war flows.

Every export barrel from the Gulf is crucial given stockpiles in the world’s largest economies are headed toward their lowest levels since at least 2003, according to analysis last week by the US Energy Information Administration.

Even though Iran and the US quietly helped ships pass through the blockaded waterway in recent weeks, shipping officials continued to urge caution after the US and Iran said on Sunday they had reached a preliminary agreement to end their war and reopen the strait.

“We still consider it very risky for ships to commence transits at this point,” said Jakob Larsen, chief safety & security officer at shipping association BIMCO. “The threat of mines in the area remains a concern immediately as well as further down the line and mine-free routes need to be established.”

Assurance sought by shippers

It is unclear how many mines Iran may have laid in the strait, which handled 20 percent of the world’s daily supply of oil and liquefied natural gas before the war.

Iran, which has sought to assert its control over the waterway during the war, has threatened to deploy naval mines, without commenting on whether its forces have planted them.

The US has indicated that mines are a risk, and says it has targeted Iranian mine-laying boats.

On June 2, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate........

© The Times of Israel