How much does it cost when a tanker loaded with oil runs into an underwater mine, or is hit by a ballistic missile? And then it flies into the air, or, let’s say, “just” catches fire?
Ominous questions like these are starting to make more and more sense these days in the tense arena of the Strait of Hormuz, as tankers are now being threatened and even shot at on both sides of the front. (https://splash247.com/us-goes-tanker-for-tanker-with-iran/
Namely, the six-month war between the USA and Israel against Iran entered a new phase at the end of August, in which Washington no longer prioritizes ensuring free navigation “for all”, nor does Tehran remind of its sovereign rights in its territorial waters above the Strait of Hormuz. At this stage, Washington and Tehran seem to be primarily interested in establishing their exclusive right to control shipping in and out of the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
On this occasion, the world’s leading insurance companies are probably already making new risk calculations, because tankers: Iranian, Saudi, South Korean, Greek… in the Strait of Hormuz are becoming a legitimate military target. (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj64rrne643o).
By the way, a new phase of the conflict in the Persian Gulf, in which civilian ships (eg mega-tankers) are being stalked by marksmen from Tehran, Washington, and other “unidentified culprits”, began in August. At that time, the Iranian National Guard published a list of 46 foreign tankers that bypassed the routes established by Tehran’s new regulations while passing through Hormuz, and announced a number of punitive measures against them. (https://mbiz.heraldcorp.com/article/10850736).
After that, “missiles of unknown origin” hit the Saudi VLCC Sidr, and shortly afterwards, on the same day, they caught up with the South Korean tanker Senegal Prosperity (under the flag of Liberia). Then two Iranian petro-tankers owned by NITC (National Iranian Tanker Company) were attacked by the US Navy. US officials described the action as part of a new retaliatory “tanker-for-tanker” attack tactic. Meanwhile, no one has yet claimed responsibility for the strikes on Sidr and Senegal Prosperity (collectively they have been loaded with about four million barrels of oil).
And, as of today, the US Navy “permanently disabled” three Iranian tankers in the Persian Gulf, after the Iranians acted against US warships in the region, according to the BBC.
In a” tanker-for-tanker” mission, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, raised the stakes : “Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even greater economic cost – destroy three of yours.”
It is getting more and more dangerous nowadays in the Strait of Hormuz.
