"When [Donald] Trump said Iran had 10 days to agree to his deal or bad things would happen, I did the math and thought we might get stuck here. And we did. At the time we had no GPS, no communications, and we were sitting on more than a million barrels of floating oil. Now we're at anchor off the coast of Dubai and it looks like we're stuck here indefinitely. We're powerless; just waiting and hoping that nothing hits us."
"Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it would set ablaze any western tanker attempting to transit the strait, a body of water through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes on tankers. Typically, about 100 tankers pass through the trade artery each day but marine traffic has evaporated as military aggression has increased and insurance costs have soared or cover has been withdrawn."
"About 200 tankers, which are not under sanctions are stranded in the strait, according to the maritime data firm Lloyd's List, as well as on hundreds of other vessels, leaving thousands of crew effectively trapped in a war zone."
Following escalating military tensions in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz has effectively closed to shipping, trapping thousands of seafarers on stranded tankers. Approximately 200 non-sanctioned tankers remain stuck in the strait and surrounding waters, unable to transit through this critical waterway that normally handles about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas. Marine traffic has virtually ceased as military aggression intensified and insurance costs soared or coverage was withdrawn. Typically 100 tankers pass through daily, but this has evaporated entirely. Crew members report operating without GPS or communications while loaded with crude oil, facing indefinite delays and safety concerns in a war zone.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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