Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has ground to a near-complete halt, with no oil shipments going through in the past 24 hours, as the Middle East war disrupts the vital waterway.
A review of shipping signals have confirmed only two commercial transits in the past 24 hours, the Joint Maritime Information Center said in a note on Friday. Those crossings were cargo ships rather than oil tankers, according to the multinational naval advisory group that focuses on the Middle East.
The escalating war in the region has prompted dozens of fully-laden oil and gas tankers to stay hunkered down within the Persian Gulf, choking off supplies to key customers in Asia and Europe. The frequency of attacks on ships in and around the strait remains high, making it too risky for energy tankers and their multimillion-dollar cargoes to attempt a transit.
Washington offered insurance backstops and naval escorts this week, after international insurers began pulling back on war-risk coverage, but shipowners haven’t yet been assured.
“This represents a near-total temporary pause in routine commercial traffic,” the JMIC said, with just one inbound and one outbound vessel crossing the strait on March 4. The tally reflects ships with their transponders turned on, and may not fully capture any transits done without signals. There’s also been sophisticated interference with global positioning system signals, affecting navigation and communication in the area.
Two vessels, MSC Grace and Sonangol Namibe, were reportedly involved in incidents in the Arabian Gulf and near Iraq. Separately, bulk carrier Iron Maiden exited the strait signaling “CHINA OWNER” as it made a break through the waterway, an example of how vessels are trying to ensure safe passage. Earlier, another ship — LPG tanker Bogazici — broadcast that it was a Muslim-owned and Turkish-operated vessel.
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