Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Pays No Hormuz Passage Fees

Tokyo, May 8 (Jiji Press)--Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. said Friday that it did not pay tolls for three ships linked to the Japanese shipping company that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran is said to be collecting fees from vessels passing through the effectively blockaded strait.

The three vessels that have sailed through the strait since April 3 are a liquefied natural gas carrier jointly owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and an Omani company and two liquefied petroleum gas carriers owned by an Indian firm related to the Japanese company. Their destinations were Oman and India.

An official of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said that the three vessels passed through the strait "thanks to (negotiations involving) multiple parties" and that the company "will continue to give top priority to ensuring the safety of crew members, cargo and ships."

A crude oil tanker owned by a subsidiary of Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co. has also passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Passage fees were not paid, Japanese government officials said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]