Hormuz blacklist expands as Iran warns charterers over compliance

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has expanded its Non-Compliance List for the Strait of Hormuz to 81 vessels, while warning charterers against pressuring shipmasters to transit the waterway without obtaining Iranian approval.

The PGSA, a US-sanctioned Iranian entity responsible for receiving applications from merchant vessels and issuing permits for Strait of Hormuz transits, said charterers that pressure ships to pass through the strait without prior permission could themselves be blacklisted. Their vessels could then face restrictions on future transits.

The warning follows reports that some charterers have been instructing masters to proceed through the strait without first completing the approval process required by Iranian authorities.

“This action, in addition to creating the risk of financial and human losses for the vessel, owner, captain, and crew, also seriously restricts the vessel’s future passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” PGSA said on X.

PGSA warns of fines, detention and confiscation

The Iranian authority maintains a Non-Compliance List covering vessels it says have breached its protocols governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to PGSA, vessels appearing on the list “shall face restrictions on future passages, including fines, detention, or confiscation.”

The authority also published a redacted letter that it said came from a shipowner seeking the removal of one of its vessels from the Non-Compliance List.

In the letter, the shipowner argued that the violation had been caused by the charterer rather than by the owner or the master. The document said the charterer had demanded that the master begin the transit immediately without completing the declaration, approval and transit procedures required under PGSA regulations.

According to the letter, the master was placed under intense commercial pressure and ultimately had no choice but to follow the charterer’s voyage orders.

The purported shipowner said it recognised and respected PGSA’s authority and apologised for the breach of its regulations.

PGSA subsequently urged shipowners to remain vigilant against what it described as “illegal actions” by charterers.

Four more vessels added to the list

The latest update adds four vessels to the PGSA Non-Compliance List. The authority’s previous major update had brought the number to 77.

The four newly listed vessels are Sinokor VLCCs Algeria Prosperity and Ocean Loyalty, bulk carrier Anna-Meta, and Bahri VLCC Silver Shine.

Silver Shine appears under the name Arsan on the PGSA list. The vessel was renamed in August.

This brings the published list dated September 28 to 81 vessels.

A difficult compliance position for ship operators

The PGSA’s efforts to administer the Iranian side of Strait of Hormuz traffic come as reports indicate increasing oil flows out of the Arabian Gulf, while US-secured tanker transits using the Oman route have increased in recent weeks.

For ship operators, however, compliance with the Iranian system creates a separate sanctions issue.

The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has warned that complying with PGSA requirements may itself be sufficient to create a breach of US sanctions.

The result is a difficult regulatory environment for companies operating vessels through one of the world’s most strategically important maritime passages. Operators must consider the requirements imposed by the Iranian authority while also taking into account US sanctions restrictions.

PGSA Non-Compliance List as of September 28, 2026

The expansion of the list adds another layer of uncertainty for shipowners, operators and charterers managing voyages through the Strait of Hormuz. While PGSA is seeking to enforce its own transit procedures from the Iranian side, operators also face the separate risk that complying with those requirements could conflict with US sanctions rules.

The latest additions therefore reinforce the compliance challenge surrounding Hormuz transits, particularly for charterers whose voyage instructions can directly affect how masters and owners approach the Iranian approval process.