"Earlier, Armateurs de France chairman Edouard Louis-Dreyfus told France Inter radio that those roughly 60 vessels trapped in the Gulf "can't pass through the Strait of Hormuz". The strait, barely 50 kilometres across at its narrowest point, is shared by Iran on one side and Oman on the other. It serves as a strategic passage between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and is heavily used by ships in peacetime."
"Iran's Revolutionary Guards have been contacting ships to tell them the strait is closed, as munitions fly across the waterway, and on Sunday two vessels were attacked, one off Oman, one off neighbouring UAE. The conflict, which started on Saturday, intensified on Sunday as Tehran retaliated for the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with missile barrages against its neighbours."
"Louis-Dreyfus said the blocked ships "have been told to not move, to not try to leave" and other ships have been warned "to stay as far away from the region as possible". The situation is "a real worrying issue for shipping companies," he said, adding the US bases - targeted by Iranian missiles - were "in most of these (Gulf) countries close to the ports"."
Roughly 60 ships remain trapped in the Persian Gulf following intensified conflict between Iran and the US-Israel alliance. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical 50-kilometer-wide passage between the Gulf and Gulf of Oman, has become a conflict hotspot with Iranian Revolutionary Guards declaring it closed. Vessels have been instructed not to attempt passage as munitions cross the waterway and recent attacks occurred on two ships. French shipping organizations report crews are sheltering in ports and ships are not priority targets. Major shipping companies including MSC and Maersk have suspended operations through the strait. Armateurs de France is reducing crew sizes to minimum levels and attempting crew repatriation where possible, citing concern about US military bases located near Gulf ports.
#strait-of-hormuz-closure #iran-us-israel-conflict #maritime-shipping-disruption #gulf-shipping-crisis #international-maritime-security
Read at The Local France
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