Mitsui O.S.K. awaits safety clarity, government guidance for vessels to leave the Gulf, CEO says

Mitsui O.s.k. Lines

09/04/2026 10:16

TOKYO, April 9 (Reuters) - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines 9104.T wants to start moving its vessels stuck around the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible but needs to ensure safe passage and get guidance from the Japanese government, its chief executive said on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its civilian infrastructure.

But there is no sign yet that Iran has lifted its blockade of the strategic waterway, which has caused the worst disruption to global energy supplies in history and snarled supply chains.

"It's not yet clear exactly how this ceasefire will be implemented on the ground in the relevant waters," Jotaro Tamura, president and chief executive officer with MOL, a Japanese shipping giant, told Reuters in an interview.

"It must be confirmed that the associated safety risks are sufficiently low," he said, when asked what conditions it needs to have.

 (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi and Kentaro Okasaka, Edited by Katya Golubkova And Kim Coghill)

 ((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-4520-1265;))