Why a Hormuz Shipping Toll Would Be Unworkable

Amid reports Iran and the US are considering charging vessels a “toll” to transit the Strait of Hormuz, maritime insiders say such a move could backfire if other countries decide to charge ships for passing through natural maritime chokepoints. “This is international free passage,” Olav Myklebust, a Norwegian oil tanker manager, says, “so the rules are very clear.” According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ships engaged in “innocent passage” through a country’s territorial…