PARIS, France — Two ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since Iran agreed to reopen the waterway as part of a ceasefire deal, maritime monitor Marine Traffic said Wednesday.

 

"The Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth crossed the Strait at 08:44 UTC, while the Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach transited earlier at 06:59 UTC, shortly after departing Bandar Abbas at 05:28 UTC", MarineTraffic said on X.

 

The United States and Iran agreed overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday to a two-week ceasefire, during which passage through the Strait of Hormuz "will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces", Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X.

 

The UN agency responsible for safety at sea said Wednesday that it is working to ensure "security of transit" through the Strait of Hormuz following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East war.

 

"I am already working with the relevant parties to implement an appropriate mechanism to ensure the safe transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz," said International Maritime Organisation chief Arsenio Dominguez.

 

"The priority now is to ensure an evacuation that guarantees the safety of navigation," he said in a statement.

 

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, with Iran saying it had agreed to provide safe passage in the Strait.

 

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil passes, has been effectively paralyzed since the start of the war on February 28.