Middle East war: Oil tankers caught in crossfire, tensions rise in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have damaged at least three oil tankers along the Gulf of Mexico, prompting Iranian retaliation that has put commercial ships at risk of collateral damage, shipping sources and officials said on Sunday. Shipping data on Sunday showed that risks to commercial shipping had surged in the past 24 hours, with more than 200 vessels, including oil tankers and liquefied gas tankers, anchoring in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters. Iran said it had closed navigation in the key waterway. Read more “The Limits of American Power”: Will Killing Khamenei Bring Regime Change in Iran? Jakob Larsen, chief security officer of the Baltic International Chamber of Shipping (BIMCO), said that “the ship could have been targeted intentionally or by mistake.” “U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have significantly increased security risks for ships operating in the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters.” “Vessels with business ties to U.S. or Israeli interests are more likely to be targeted, but other vessels may also be targeted intentionally or mistakenly.” Oman’s Maritime Security Center said a Palau-flagged oil tanker subject to U.S. sanctions was hit near Oman’s Musandam Peninsula on Sunday, injuring four people, but did not specify what caused the ship. The Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker MKD VYOM was hit by a shell while loading cargo off the coast of Oman, two maritime security sources said on Sunday. One of the sources said the ship was hit 44.4 nautical miles northwest of Muscat. Britain’s maritime agency UKMTO said a merchant ship carrying cargo reported an explosion at the same location. Maritime security sources said another oil tanker in the United Arab Emirates port of Jebel Ali was nearly damaged by debris falling from an aerial interception after Iran launched an overnight attack on the Gulf state. A third oil tanker was damaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, two shipping sources said. About 20% of the world’s oil, including oil producers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait and Iran, and large quantities of liquefied natural gas from Qatar pass through Hormuz. Iran targets Gulf states: More explosions in Dubai, Doha and Manama To display this content on YouTube, you must enable ad tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage My Choices One of your browser extensions appears to be preventing the video player from loading. To view this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again © France 24 The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration said in a report on Saturday that ships were advised to stay away from the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf of Oman due to the risk of Iranian retaliatory attacks. The report stated: “Any U.S.-flagged, U.S.-flagged, or crewed commercial ships operating in these areas should maintain a 30-mile confrontation distance from U.S. warships to reduce the risk of being mistaken for a threat.” Security sources said there is also a potential risk that the Iranian military will lay mines in the narrow channel of the Strait of Hormuz. Two U.S. officials told Reuters in July that the Iranian military loaded mines on ships in the Persian Gulf in June, fueling Washington’s concerns that Tehran was preparing to block the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime sources said war risk insurance rates were expected to surge when underwriters reviewed coverage on Monday. War insurance is required when sailing to dangerous areas, and Lloyd’s of London markets have listed Iran, the Gulf and parts of the Gulf of Oman as high-risk areas. “We estimate that near-term rate increases for marine hull insurance in the Gulf could be between 25% and 50%,” said Dylan Mortimer of insurance brokerage Marsh. Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, said on Sunday it would stop transiting the Strait of Hormuz for “security” reasons. “We are suspending all vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice,” the Danish organization said in an online advisory. “The safety of our crews, vessels and customers’ cargo remains our top priority,” it said. (Reported by France 24 Hours Reuters)