- Published
The threat to ships carrying oil in the Middle East is at its worst since the Iran war started, experts have said, after a spate of attacks on another key route in the region.
asserted
experts → publish → region
The warning comes after a number of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, an alternative waterway that some tankers had been using since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz.
asserted
Iran → come → Hormuz
Iran has denied Donald Trump's claim that it was in talks with the US over reopening the strait, but said it was speaking to Oman about securing the shipping lane.
"In terms of threat to the trade of crude, we're at the worst period that we've been in since this since this crisis began," said Matthew Wright, an analyst at ship-tracking firm Kpler.
uncertain
Wright → deny → Kpler
The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz was just eight on Sunday and 11 on Saturday, compared with more than 100 per day before the war began, according to Kpler.
uncertain
war → pass → Kpler
Before the conflict, about 20% of the world's oil and gas passed through the strait.
asserted
% → pass → strait
The temporary peace deal with the US struck in early June led to numbers rising again, but the resumption of strikes between the two countries roughly a month later have significantly reduced traffic.
asserted
resumption → strike → traffic
Many ships have been "going dark" when crossing the strait, meaning they turn off their transponder to avoid detection.
asserted
they → go → detection
For much of the war, some ships carrying oil from Saudi Arabia had instead passed through an alternative shipping lane in the Red Sea, between the kingdom and northeast Africa.
asserted
ships → carry → kingdom
But a recent spate of attacks by Yemen's Houthi fighters on Saudi tankers using the alternative waterway has further heightened the risks.
asserted
spate → use → risks
The Iranian-backed Houthi militia announced what it called a blockade on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports on 20 July and the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency has reported several attacks on ships in the past week.
asserted
agency → back → week
"Not only is the ongoing situation in the Strait of Hormuz constraining oil flows, but now a big factor that was helping to balance the market is now also under threat.
asserted
that → constrain → threat
It's a problem stacked on top of a problem," Wright said.
asserted
Wright → stack → problem
Tim Wilkins, the managing director of Intertanko, a trade body representing tanker owners, said the industry was "facing a broadening, deteriorating, and increasingly complex security situation".
asserted
industry → manage → situation
"We now have the high-risk area going up to Saudi Arabian waters and extending into parts of the Red Sea.
asserted
area → have → Sea
So that's having another impact on the market, on freedom of navigation as well.
asserted
that → have → navigation
"
The number of commodity vessels that passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait was 28 on Saturday and six of them had their transponders turned off, according to Kpler data, indicating that they were trying to avoid detection.
uncertain
they → pass → detection
Not all vessels are deterred from passing through because the Houthi threat is only targeted at Saudi shipping, with the total number sitting at about 50% of pre-attack levels.
asserted
number → deter → levels
But the number of ships loading crude oil for export to Asia passing through has dropped to about four per day, Kpler added, the lowest point since the start of the war.
asserted
Kpler → load → war
A spokesperson for Hapag-Lloyd, the global shipping giant, said some of its vessels were still passing through the Red Sea but that it would "monitor developments closely and will adjust the network if circumstances change".
asserted
circumstances → say → network
"If the Strait of Hormuz reopened, most ships could probably leave the region fairly quickly.
uncertain
ships → reopen → region
However, restoring normal cargo flows would take much longer.
asserted
restoring → restore → flows
"Services have been suspended and ships redeployed elsewhere, so a return to normal flows would most likely take three to four months."
asserted
return → suspend → months
Despite the talks with Oman, Iran has said that no deal is imminent that would reopen the strait to normal traffic.
asserted
that → say → traffic
Its foreign ministry ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said any agreement would not lift the current restrictions while US "aggression" continued.
asserted
aggression → say → restrictions
Kpler's Wright said that while talks with Oman could be productive, any deal would need the involvement of the US and the fear is that current negotiations could be a "false start" without concessions on at least one side.
Nonetheless, oil prices fell sharply after Trump said he would cancel planned strikes on Iran based on the potential for upcoming talks.
uncertain
he → say → talks
Brent crude was trading 4.4% lower at $84.05 a barrel, after it fell as much as 7.3% to $81.55 a barrel earlier in the day.
asserted
it → trade → day
Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, another ship-tracking company, said the fighting had taken the shipping industry "back to to square one" and that things were in "a terrible state, regardless of which shipping type you're you're looking at".
"The alternatives for getting cargo, whether that's hydrocarbons or container shipping, are really not great… it is really still troubling times with no clarity and no change of fortunes within sight."
asserted
it → track → sight
- Published
The threat to ships carrying oil in the Middle East is at its worst since the Iran war started, experts have said, after a spate of attacks on another key route in the region.
asserted
experts → publish → region
The warning comes after a number of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, an alternative waterway that some tankers had been using since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz.
asserted
Iran → come → Hormuz
Iran has denied Donald Trump's claim that it was in talks with the US over reopening the strait, but said it was speaking to Oman about securing the shipping lane.
"In terms of threat to the trade of crude, we're at the worst period that we've been in since this since this crisis began," said Matthew Wright, an analyst at ship-tracking firm Kpler.
uncertain
Wright → deny → Kpler
The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz was just eight on Sunday and 11 on Saturday, compared with more than 100 per day before the war began, according to Kpler.
uncertain
war → pass → Kpler
Before the conflict, about 20% of the world's oil and gas passed through the strait.
asserted
% → pass → strait
The temporary peace deal with the US struck in early June led to numbers rising again, but the resumption of strikes between the two countries roughly a month later have significantly reduced traffic.
asserted
resumption → strike → traffic
Many ships have been "going dark" when crossing the strait, meaning they turn off their transponder to avoid detection.
asserted
they → go → detection
For much of the war, some ships carrying oil from Saudi Arabia had instead passed through an alternative shipping lane in the Red Sea, between the kingdom and northeast Africa.
asserted
ships → carry → kingdom
But a recent spate of attacks by Yemen's Houthi fighters on Saudi tankers using the alternative waterway has further heightened the risks.
asserted
spate → use → risks
The Iranian-backed Houthi militia announced what it called a blockade on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports on 20 July and the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency has reported several attacks on ships in the past week.
asserted
agency → back → week
"Not only is the ongoing situation in the Strait of Hormuz constraining oil flows, but now a big factor that was helping to balance the market is now also under threat.
asserted
that → constrain → threat
It's a problem stacked on top of a problem," Wright said.
asserted
Wright → stack → problem
Tim Wilkins, the managing director of Intertanko, a trade body representing tanker owners, said the industry was "facing a broadening, deteriorating, and increasingly complex security situation".
asserted
industry → manage → situation
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
