Strait of Hormuz tanker danger persists as crews await safe passage
Tanker crews remain exposed to missile and mine threats as disputed routes and a stalled agreement keep Hormuz traffic far below normal.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Strait of Hormuz tanker danger remains acute, with normal safe transit yet to return for crews crossing the waterway. NPR reported Aug. 8 that ships near the strait were in limbo and that a broader agreement on passage remained distant, citing tanker-industry official Tim Wilkins.
The risks go beyond delays. CNBC reported July 17, citing International Maritime Organization data, that at least nine vessels had been attacked since July 6. Its report said one seafarer was killed and three were injured aboard the crude tanker Al Bahyah off Oman, while 11 mariners were injured in an attack on the Mombasa B the same day.
What dangers are tanker crews facing in the Strait of Hormuz?
CNBC reported that the attacks had involved anti-ship missiles, citing Jakob Larsen, chief security officer at shipping association BIMCO. Larsen also said the usual central shipping route, known as the traffic separation scheme, was too dangerous because of the threat of mines.
That route normally separates opposing ship traffic through the middle of the strait. Mines are a particular danger because an explosion beneath a vessel can cause severe damage, Larsen told CNBC.
Crews’ concerns have also limited commercial movements. Dimitris Maniatis, chief executive of maritime-risk firm Marisks, told CNBC that crews were more worried and that transits had dropped, an assessment that reflects industry conditions rather than an official safety declaration.
Why alternative routes have not restored normal traffic
CNBC, citing Kpler data, reported only eight crossings on one July Thursday, down from 15 the prior day and far below the more than 100 daily transits recorded before the Feb. 28 U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran described in its report.
A June 24 DW News report said the International Maritime Organization had begun guiding some vessels through an evacuation plan. In that report, Kpler freight analyst Matthew Wright described two alternatives to the central route: a southern passage close to Oman and a northern route around Iranian islands.
Wright said those passages were nearer shore, had shallower water and required sharper turns, making them less able to handle normal traffic. He also said the plan could not remove the risk of an Iranian attack and was expected to favor ships leaving the region over vessels entering it.
The diplomatic terms remain unsettled. CNBC reported that a June 17 memorandum of understanding included Tehran’s promise of safe passage but did not specify which lanes ships should use, leaving the United States and Iran in dispute over how the strait should reopen.
For sailors, that means limited routes and occasional transits do not yet amount to a durable return to routine operations. NPR’s latest report said the danger of crossing remains while ships wait for clearer conditions.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.