Oil Tankers Face Ongoing Security Risks Transiting Strait Of Hormuz

Tanker captains are navigating hazardous transits through the Strait of Hormuz as drone and missile attacks continue, Rigzone News reported. Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have failed to yield an agreement to reopen the waterway to regular maritime traffic. [1]

According to Rigzone News, a captain in his early 40s reported veering his 300-meter-long tanker around a burning vessel before contacting the United States Navy following a nearby blast. Despite these risks, shipowners, commodity traders, and regional energy producers continue to rely on these transits to deliver crude supplies to global markets. [1]

EnergyNow.com reported that Gulf oil production is expected to rebound within months once the Strait of Hormuz reopens to normal traffic. Separately, EnergyNow.com reported that the United Arab Emirates plans to double its oil export capacity bypassing the strait by 2027. [2][3]

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, following the start of an air war launched against Iran by the United States and Israel. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps subsequently issued warnings against passage, attacked merchant vessels, and deployed sea mines in the waterway. Prior to the conflict, approximately 25 percent of the global seaborne oil trade and 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas passed through the strait. [6]