SINGAPORE: At least four oil and gas tankers have turned back from attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz following renewed attacks on vessels in the critical waterway, ship-tracking data showed, heightening safety and security concerns across global energy markets.
The diversions come after a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker were damaged near the strait on Tuesday. The incidents followed reports that Iran fired missiles at ships in the waterway, prompting maritime authorities to raise the threat risk for transiting vessels to “severe.”
Data from analytics firms Kpler and LSEG revealed that three LNG tankers—Al Ghariya, Duhail, and Al Ruwais—had been moving westward towards the Strait of Hormuz before changing course late on Tuesday. All three vessels, controlled by QatarEnergy, were empty and heading towards Qatar’s Ras Laffan export facility to load cargoes. Meanwhile, an Indian-flagged tanker carrying two million barrels of Kuwaiti crude made a U-turn off the tip of Oman at the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
The shipping halt has led to a growing queue of ballast vessels waiting to load at Ras Laffan, reaching more than 10 ships in early July, according to analysts at Vortexa. Over 50 QatarEnergy- and ADNOC-controlled ballast vessels are currently stationed around the Middle East Gulf, India, and the Malacca strait, with some switching off their Automatic Identification System signals for more than 10 days to evade detection.
Despite the escalating threat, some traffic managed to navigate the choke point. At least two very large crude carriers (VLCCs) successfully exited the strait late on Tuesday. The VLCC Tenjun, managed by Nippon Yusen KK and carrying two million barrels of Qatari crude, cleared the waterway safely. Similarly, the VLCC Pertamina Pride, managed by Indonesia’s state energy firm Pertamina, exited the strait with its transponder switched off.
While at least 16 LNG cargoes from Ras Laffan and 10 from ADNOC’s Das Island terminal have exited the strait since the conflict began, the current disruptions represent a fraction of the roughly seven million metric tons typically shipped from both export hubs each month. However, the latest missile strikes and subsequent U-turns underscore the growing volatility of a maritime route essential to global energy security. The disruptions are likely to add upward pressure on energy prices and reignite concerns about supply chain stability. The international community has called for restraint and a return to dialogue to ensure the safety of international shipping in the region. The coming days will be critical in determining whether the situation escalates further or diplomatic efforts can restore calm. The world watches with concern as the Strait of Hormuz once again becomes a flashpoint for geopolitical tension. 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