Jotaro Tamura, Chief Executive Officer of Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., stated that operations in the Strait of Hormuz are unlikely to resume in any form by the end of the year due to current security risks. ^[1] Mitsui OSK Lines CEO Jotaro Tamura said in a Bloomberg interview published in 2026 that it is difficult to see shipping operations at the Strait of Hormuz resuming in any form by the end of the year, citing the re-escalation of US-Iran hostilities. ^[2] Clashes between the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz have intensified after a period of relative calm, raising the threat for vessels carrying Middle Eastern crude to global markets. ^[3] Japan's oil refiners, which previously sourced more than 90% of their crude from the Middle East, have been forced to seek alternative supplies and routes, including the United States, while drawing from national stockpiles to stave off shortages and price spikes. ^[4] Risk-averse Japanese shipowners have largely avoided the Strait of Hormuz region for safety reasons since the war began, after initially managing to move their ships out of the Gulf. ^[5] In a quarterly financial report published in 2026, Mitsui OSK Lines assumed that navigation around the Strait of Hormuz would gradually resume from October 2026 and be normalized in January 2027. ^[6] Jotaro Tamura, CEO of Mitsui OSK Lines, said the company does not currently plan to return to shipping oil through the Strait of Hormuz due to elevated risks, and would need guarantees and evidence of sustainably safe passage to consider returning. ^[7]