A fire broke out on board a VLCC tanker near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, although reports indicate that the fire started during maintenance work and no foul play is suspected. UAE officials report that the fire started on the Panamanian-flagged ship as it was about 21 miles off the coast of Sharjah, UAE. A statement from the UAE’s Federal Transport … [Read more...]
South Korea to Deploy Anti-Piracy Unit to the Strait of Hormuz
By Sangmi Cha and Josh Smith SEOUL, Jan 21 (Reuters) - South Korea's military said on Tuesday it plans to expand the deployment of an anti-piracy unit now operating off the coast of Africa to the area around the Strait of Hormuz, after the United States pressed for help to guard oil tankers. Attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran last year … [Read more...]
Iran Won’t Target Strait of Hormuz Over Soleimani’s Killing. Analysts Believe
By Luke Baker LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Iran is unlikely to block the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest oil-shipping channel, in reprisal for the killing of Qassem Soleimani for fear of aggravating its Gulf allies and China, regional analysts said on Monday. Tehran has long threatened to block the waterway between Iran and Oman - 33 km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest … [Read more...]
United States Warns Commercial Vessels of Threat from Iran
The United States has reissued an alert to commercial vessels in the Middle East to the maritime threat from the Iranian military and its proxies following the United States’ killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. The alert (2020-001B) covers the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean. “Multiple maritime … [Read more...]
Oil Shippers Raise Offers for Middle East Route on Gulf Risk
By Serene Cheong, Sharon Cho and Ann Koh (Bloomberg) --Owners of oil tankers are boosting their rates to haul crude on a key route from the Middle East as risks in the Gulf escalate after Iran retaliated against the U.S. killing of a top general. Shipowners are offering rates for supertankers carrying crude from the Persian Gulf to China at increasingly higher levels, in … [Read more...]