Over 200 ships, including oil and LNG tankers, anchored near the Strait of Hormuz amid rising risks
A vessel sailing through water. PHOTO: PEXELS
At least three tankers were damaged off the Gulf coast after US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered Iranian retaliation that put merchant ships at risk of collateral damage, shipping sources and officials said on Sunday.
Risks to commercial shipping have surged in the past 24 hours, with more than 200 vessels including oil and liquefied gas tankers dropping anchor around the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters, shipping data showed on Sunday.
At least 150 tankers, including crude and LNG vessels, dropped anchor in open Gulf waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz and dozens more were stationary on the other side of the chokepoint, shipping data showed on Sunday, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the region into turmoil.
Read More: Iran tells ships passage through Strait of Hormuz ‘not allowed’, EU naval mission official says
The tankers were clustered in open waters off the coasts of major Gulf oil producers, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia, as well as liquefied natural gas giant Qatar, according to Reuters estimates based on ship-tracking data from the MarineTraffic platform.
On Saturday, an official from the European Union’s naval mission Aspides said that vessels have been receiving VHF transmission from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards saying “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz”.
The strait is the world’s most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
