Iran stops tankers raising fears on Hormuz

An empty Malta-flagged, Greece-managed oil products tanker stopped at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman early Monday, as ship owners and operators grow increasingly wary of attempting to transit the waterway in either direction after the re-escalation of hostilities.

The Kavomaleas, a product tanker, signaled early Monday.

It was located in the Persian Gulf, at anchor and empty off the tip of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. Its previous broadcast was in the Gulf of Oman early Sunday local time, according to data compiled by the outlet, which suggests the AIS tracking system was switched off when the ship started its inbound journey into the Gulf. It had been chartered to pick up oil from within the Gulf, per tanker fixtures.

Most Vessels Now Transit in ‘Dark Mode’

Since the collapse of the ceasefire, most ships attempting to brave the waters in the strait have done so in dark mode to avoid being detected. Tanker operators have all but stopped attempts to transit the strait since hostilities returned more than a week ago, and Iran started attacking and harassing ships again.

Late last week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced: It had intercepted four ships attempting to pass through the strait. They had switched off their transponders, and two were “met with accidents and were stopped in their tracks,” the Revolutionary Guards said.

Tanker Traffic at Hormuz Collapses to Two-Month Low

Tanker traffic at Hormuz has collapsed to a two-month low, reigniting fears of supply shortages amid the approaching peak summer season.

On Monday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received a report of an incident 8 nautical miles northwest of Kumzar, Oman. “UKMTO have received information from a verified source that a ship is on fire. The cause of the fire has not been verified as this time,” said UKMTO, advising ships “to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO while authorities investigate.”