Donald Trump proposed a 20% charge on cargoes transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying it would reimburse security costs tied to keeping the waterway open. Analyses published on July 13 translated that ad valorem rate into voyage-level costs using current commodity values.
At about $80 a barrel, a fully laden very large crude carrier carrying roughly 2 million barrels would face an implied charge of about $30 million, while a fully laden large gas carrier would face an estimated charge of about $17 million. Those estimates are materially above the recent market reference point for Iran-linked passage charges, which had been reported at as much as $2 million per voyage on an ad hoc basis.
Shipping publications said no collection, compliance, or enforcement mechanism has been disclosed. That leaves open whether any charge would be compulsory, who would collect it, and how it would be applied through maritime, insurance, or contractual channels.
The International Maritime Organization said in May that there is no legal basis for countries to impose tolls, fees, or discriminatory conditions on straits used for international navigation. Separately, the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC has advised maritime participants to conduct enhanced due diligence on any voyage involving Hormuz transit and to ask counterparties whether any safe-passage or transit fees were or will be paid to Iran.