Three ships were reportedly attacked near the mouth of the Persian Gulf, amid signs that tanker traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz oil-and-gas chokepoint is halting because of conflict in the region.
Iran said it doesn’t intend to shut the waterway, just a day after ships in the area heard radio broadcasts stating that transit through Strait of Hormuz was banned.
Vessels began avoiding Hormuz almost as soon as the conflict began on Saturday, with some of them U-turning and others simply stopping before entry. Now, digital signals indicate that oil-tanker traffic through the waterway may have all-but halted. For traders, what happens there is vital because it handles about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and a similar proportion of liquefied natural gas.
While Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country has no intention of shutting Strait of Hormuz, there are clear signs that tanker companies are staying away.
Just one oil ship, owned by Iran’s state-run tanker company NITC, was passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday afternoon, according to digital signals compiled by Bloomberg. Sometimes vessels turn off their digital transponders when navigating conflict areas, and at least one oil tanker appeared to do exactly that before switching its transponder back on after clearing the strait.
Attacks on ships will add to owner caution. Two of three reported incidents occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, off the Omani exclave of Musandam, while a third happened further south, off Muscat, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said.
Oman’s Maritime Security agency identified one of the ships as the Skylight tanker—a small ship that appears to be sanctioned by the US. A Norwegian rescue service identified a second as the MKD Vyom. UKMTO, a liaison between the military and commercial ships, didn’t identify the third.
The MKD Vyom, with a transportation capacity of 74,000 deadweight tons, was transporting oil products for Aramco, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The company declined to comment. The Skylight is smaller with a capacity of just over 11,000 tons. The biggest crude oil tankers are more than 300,000 tons.
A third, unidentified vessel was able to extinguish a blaze and continued its voyage, the UKMTO said. It described the attack as a separate incident, though it took place close to where the Starlight was hit
The incidents underscore the growing concern about maritime security as the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran spreads through the region and heightens tensions around Hormuz, which handles a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and a similar portion of liquefied natural gas.
Multiple ships reported on Saturday hearing radio broadcasts purporting to come from the Iranian navy announcing that transit through the waterway was banned. Tehran has threatened American vessels.
UKMTO said in a separate update on Sunday that no official closure of Hormuz has been communicated through the official legal channels and that radio communications do not constitute a legally recognised closure.
