At least 150 tankers, including those carrying crude oil and liquefied gas, have dropped anchor in open waters in the Persian Gulf, while dozens of other ships remain on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz – in the Gulf of Oman. This was reported by Reuters, citing data from the maritime traffic tracking platform “MarinTraffic“ (MarineTraffic), writes BTA.
The tankers have gathered in open waters off the coasts of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to a Reuters analysis based on data from “MarineTraffic“.
The gathering of ships followed Iran's announcement last night of a suspension of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after the US-Israeli strikes against Iran that began yesterday, which responded with air strikes against a number of countries in the region.
The US Department of Transportation yesterday recommended that cargo ships avoid the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, after Yemeni Houthi rebels yesterday threatened to resume attacks on ships in the Red Sea and against Israel, in a sign of sympathy for Iran. The US Department also urged ships to maintain a distance of at least 30 nautical miles (about 55 kilometers) from US military vessels "to reduce risk".
The Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman is one of the most strategic sea lanes in the world and the only export sea route for energy supplies from the Persian Gulf countries - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and Iran.
About 20 percent of the world's oil supplies usually pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
A Palau-flagged oil tanker was hit off the Musandam Peninsula in Oman, injuring four people, the country's Maritime Security Center reported, quoted by Reuters. The attack comes after drone strikes on the port of Duqm in the Persian Gulf.
The incidents mark the first time that targets in or near Oman have been hit in a wave of retaliatory strikes by Tehran on the territory of the Persian Gulf states that followed joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The 20-member crew of the tanker “Skylight“, consisting of 15 Indian and five Iranian nationals, were evacuated after the attack, which was about 5 nautical miles north of the port of Khasab in Musandam, Oman's Maritime Security Center said in a publication in “Ex“. The center did not specify what hit the tanker.
Initial information revealed that four crew members were injured to varying degrees, it added.
The Musandam Peninsula, which belongs to Oman, shares with Iran control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic point through which approximately a fifth of the world's oil is transported.
Earlier today, Oman's state news agency reported that the commercial port of Duqm was hit by two drones, injuring a migrant worker.
Debris from another drone fell in an area near fuel tanks in Duqm, but no casualties or material damage were reported in that incident, the agency added.