Tankers reverse course amid rising tensions in Strait of Hormuz

July 10 ------ At least four oil and gas tankers have turned back from attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz after renewed attacks on vessels heightened security concerns. The diversions followed damage to a Qatari LNG tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker near the strait on 6 June, amid reports that Iran fired missiles at ships in the waterway. The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) has since raised the threat level for vessels transiting the strait to “severe.”

Reuters reported that three empty QatarEnergy LNG tankers, Al Ghariya, Duhail, and Al Ruwais, reversed course before reaching the strait while en route to Qatar’s Ras Laffan export terminal to load cargoes.

Separately, the Indian-flagged crude tanker Lila Vadinar, carrying 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude, also made a U-turn near the Strait of Hormuz. Although some LNG and crude shipments have continued to pass through the strait since the conflict began in late February, export volumes remain well below normal levels.

The disruption has created a backlog of empty vessels waiting to load at Ras Laffan. Reuters said satellite imagery showed 14 LNG tankers anchored offshore, with several vessels switching off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders. More than 50 QatarEnergy- and ADNOC-controlled empty vessels are also positioned around the Gulf, India, and the Strait of Malacca, with some AIS signals turned off for over 10 days.

Despite the heightened risks, several crude tankers managed to exit the Strait of Hormuz, while India’s Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) cancelled a chartered vessel scheduled to load crude oil from Iraq, underscoring the growing impact of the security situation on regional energy trade.

Source: safety4sea.com