Published: · Region: Middle East · Category: conflict

Drone Strike on Tanker in Strait of Hormuz Puts Global Energy Flows at New Risk

A commercial tanker was reportedly hit by a drone in the Strait of Hormuz, reviving fears that the world’s most critical oil chokepoint is slipping deeper into a shadow war. For ship crews, insurers and energy buyers, even one successful strike raises the cost of crossing a narrow corridor that moves a fifth of globally traded crude.

A single drone hitting a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz is enough to push the world’s most important oil corridor back into the line of fire. That is what maritime security monitors reported on 14 August, saying a commercial vessel transiting the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman was struck by an unmanned aircraft, with no immediate public details on damage, casualties or attribution. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations service reported at 17:01 UTC that a tanker had been hit by a drone while sailing in the Strait, an exceptionally sensitive stretch of water through which an estimated 20% of globally traded crude and condensate passes. The report…

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