With a peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran now in place, the Strait of Hormuz is slated to reopen this Friday after a four-month closure that halted roughly 20 percent of the world’s crude oil supply. While the maritime industry is eager to resume operations, experts warn that the process will be far from instantaneous. Roughly 500 ships and 20,000 crew members have been idling in the Gulf, and while most vessels have maintained their machinery during the wait, many will require underwater hull cleaning to remove marine growth before they can safely return to service. Additionally, mine-clearing operations—led by a coalition involving France, Britain, and Germany—are currently underway, forcing initial traffic to navigate narrower, less efficient coastal channels until the central zone is declared safe.

Even when the waterway officially clears, a full return to pre-war shipping volumes is expected to take anywhere from four to six months. Beyond the physical logistics of clearing mines and rotating crews, the global energy market must contend with fractured supply chains and new trade partnerships forged in the wake of the crisis. While high tanker earnings make the cost of war-risk insurance manageable for many operators, the prospect of new "maritime service fees" imposed by Iran remains a point of contention. Because such payments could inadvertently funnel funds to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, shipping companies face a complex geopolitical dilemma that could complicate the restoration of normal trade routes long after the vessels begin moving again.