The Union government on Thursday said that Iran has levied no toll for the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, contesting reports which suggested the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was charging hefty amounts for ships to pass Tehran’s Larak-Qesham channel.

Asked if Iran was collecting any charges from merchant vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, special secretary in the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, said the channel is an international strait and global conventions allow the right to navigation there.

“No levy or fee can be imposed on it as per international regulations,” Sinha said. “Therefore, any fact presented by anyone, any argument made by anyone has no basis. This is a baseless argument,” he said. Sinha clarified that no permission is required to cross the Strait of Hormuz, but in the current war scenario, an assessment before moving is necessary.

On Monday evening, two India-flagged LPG carriers — Pine Gas and Jag Vasant — cleared the Strait of Hormuz. Pine Gas is carrying 45,000 metric tonnes of LPG and is scheduled to arrive at New Mangalore Port on March 27. Jag Vasant is carrying approximately 47,600 metric tonnes of LPG and is heading to Kandla Port. The ship is expected to arrive on March 26. Now, 20 India-flagged vessels are stranded west of the
strait. Among them, five were LPG tankers and one was an empty ballast.