Four tankers turn back from Strait of Hormuz after fresh vessel attacks

SINGAPORE: At least four oil and gas tankers have turned back from attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz following renewed attacks on vessels in the critical waterway, ship-tracking data showed, heightening safety and security concerns across global energy markets.

The diversions come after a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker were damaged near the strait on Tuesday. The incidents followed reports that Iran fired missiles at ships in the waterway, prompting maritime authorities to raise the threat risk for transiting vessels to “severe.”

Supply routes disrupted

Data from analytics firms Kpler and LSEG revealed that three LNG tankers Al Ghariya, Duhail, and Al Ruwais had been moving westward towards the Strait of Hormuz before changing course late on Tuesday. All three vessels, controlled by QatarEnergy, were empty and heading towards Qatar’s Ras Laffan export facility to load cargoes.

Meanwhile, an Indian-flagged tanker carrying two million barrels of Kuwaiti crude, which was loaded late last week, made a U-turn off the tip of Oman at the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, tracking data further indicated.

The shipping halt has led to a growing queue of ballast, or empty, vessels waiting to load at Ras Laffan, reaching more than 10 ships in early July, according to analysts at Vortexa.

Over 50 QatarEnergy- and ADNOC-controlled ballast vessels are currently stationed around the Middle East Gulf, India, and the Malacca strait, with some switching off their Automatic Identification System signals for more than 10 days to evade detection.

Flow continues amid heightened risk

Despite the escalating threat, some traffic managed to navigate the choke point. At least two very large crude carriers (VLCCs) successfully exited the strait late on Tuesday. The VLCC Tenjun, managed by Nippon Yusen KK and carrying two million barrels of Qatari crude loaded in late February, cleared the waterway safely.

Similarly, the VLCC Pertamina Pride, managed by Indonesia’s state energy firm Pertamina, exited the strait on Tuesday with its transponder switched off. The vessel is carrying two million barrels of Saudi crude loaded in early March.

While at least 16 LNG cargoes from Ras Laffan and 10 from ADNOC’s Das Island terminal in the United Arab Emirates have exited the strait since the conflict began in late February, the current disruptions represent a fraction of the roughly seven million metric tons typically shipped from both export hubs each month.

However, the latest missile strikes and subsequent U-turns underscore the growing volatility of a maritime route essential to global energy security.