“No lights, no radio” is a striking description, but the reporting behind this story is narrower: the Associated Press said on 15 June 2026 that some ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz by a southern passage along Oman had their lights and location systems turned off under U.S. forces’ guidance. AP did not establish that their radios were off, identify the ships, or explain why those systems were disabled.
The reported passages took place amid threats to commercial shipping and disruption around the Strait’s established traffic lanes. They were dangerous, exceptional transits—not evidence of a routine route or a safe method for getting oil through the Strait.
What the reports say about the two routes
AP reported two broad routes used by ships leaving the Strait during the 2026 crisis: an Iranian-run vetting lane in the north, and a southern passage along the Omani coast. It reported Iranian threats against ships using the established mid-strait lanes. For some ships on the southern passage, AP said lights and location systems were off under U.S. forces’ guidance. That account does not provide a vessel-by-vessel route map or establish how either route related to each ship’s precise track.
| Reported route | What is established | What is not established |
|---|---|---|
| Northern lane | AP described it on 15 June 2026 as an Iranian-run vetting lane. | Individual ship routes, procedures, and how this lane related to the traffic separation scheme are not stated by AP. |
| Southern passage | AP described ships passing along the Omani coast; it said some did so with lights and location systems off under U.S. forces’ guidance. | Ship names, exact tracks and timing, the content of the guidance, and how these tracks related to the traffic separation scheme are not stated by AP. |
The passage matters in part because the International Maritime Organization (IMO) says the Strait’s Traffic Separation Scheme was proposed by Iran and Oman and adopted in 1968. Its purpose is to organize traffic to reduce collision risk and improve safety. A report of ships taking a different passage should be understood against that safety function; the available account is not detailed enough to draw a precise route map or explain any vessel’s navigational choices.
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What “dark” means—and what it does not tell us
In this account, “dark” refers to ships that are not visible through ordinary location-system signals. AP specifically reported that some vessels on the southern passage had lights and location systems turned off. Lights, AIS or other location systems, and radio equipment are distinct; the report does not say that every radio aboard those ships was off, or describe their communications setup.
Nor does the report explain why the systems were disabled. It does not name the ships or establish that every ship carrying oil, every ship associated with Iranian exports, or every vessel on either reported route made a dark transit. The detail is evidence of a specific, dated account—not a general description of how tankers navigate the Strait.
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Why a passage could be dangerous even without tracking signals
Reduced visibility to ordinary tracking systems does not remove the physical threats to a ship or the hazards of navigating in a disrupted waterway. In U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Maritime Advisory 2026-011, the listed threats included missiles, armed unmanned aerial vehicles and armed unmanned surface vessels. MARAD also cited historical boarding operations and attempts to force commercial vessels into Iranian territorial waters, as well as significant GNSS interference, spoofing and jamming.
GNSS interference can complicate position-fixing; spoofing can present false position information, while jamming can disrupt signals. Those are navigation concerns in addition to the risk of attack or boarding. The Norwegian Maritime Authority’s 23 June 2025 notice had already warned of very high GNSS and AIS interference risk in Iranian territorial waters, the Strait, and international waters in the Gulf of Oman. That notice is historical context, not a current risk assessment.
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Who makes the transit decision
Six maritime organisations—ICS, BIMCO, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO, IMCA and OCIMF—issued Strait of Hormuz navigational guidance in May 2026. It calls for voyage-specific threat and risk assessment and states that the ship’s master retains overriding authority; the final transit decision rests with the master and crew.
On 9 June 2026, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, “Under such circumstances, safe passage cannot be considered to exist.” He was referring to conditions at that time, including the lack of credible security guarantees, significant known risks, and recent seafarer casualties and detentions. His statement also stressed that the master and company carry ultimate responsibility for voyage planning and realistic risk assessment, and that commercial or operational considerations cannot justify exposing seafarers to such danger. It is a dated judgment, not a permanent assessment of conditions.
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MARAD’s recommendations in Advisory 2026-011 were directed to U.S.-flagged vessels, not the general public. They included pre-voyage risk assessment, coordination with NAVCENT NCAGS, monitoring VHF Channel 16, and using traditional navigation methods such as radar ranges and visual bearings while cross-checking ECDIS against secondary systems. These are audience-specific official recommendations, not instructions for readers to apply to a commercial voyage.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the traffic and oil figures show
The figures below describe different measures and periods. They help show the scale of the disruption, but none is a count of ships that made the specific lights-off southern passage.
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| Measure | Reported figure | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Strait crossings | At least 89 ships crossed from 1 to 15 March 2026, including 16 oil tankers. | Lloyd’s List Intelligence, as reported by AP on 18 March 2026. |
| Pre-conflict traffic | About 100 to 135 vessel passages per day. | Lloyd’s List Intelligence, as reported by AP on 18 March 2026; this is a pre-conflict comparison, not a March or October 2026 count. |
| Iranian oil exports | More than 16 million barrels since early March 2026. | Kpler estimate, as reported by AP on 18 March 2026. |
| Share of crude normally transiting the Strait | About one-fifth of the world’s crude oil. | AP, 18 March 2026; a normal-flow estimate, not a measure of current throughput. |
| People affected in the region | Around 20,000 seafarers, port workers and offshore crews. | IMO, 2026. IMO notes that its transit averages combine multiple sources and are for general awareness. |
The March crossing and export estimates cannot be treated as October traffic figures. For conditions now, the IMO Strait of Hormuz information page was updated on 29 September 2026; MARAD, UKMTO, and relevant flag-state and industry advisories are also appropriate sources to consult. Security notices and route status can change, so the June account does not establish what ships are doing today.
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