... The UKMTO said it had received 17 reports of incidents affecting vessels
operating in and around the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of
Oman between Feb. 28, when the war began, and March 11. These include 13
attack reports and four reports of suspicious activity. ...
Iran sends millions of oil barrels to China through Strait of Hormuz even as war chokes the waterway
... Iran has sent at least 11.7 million barrels of crude oil through the
Strait of Hormuz since the war began on Feb. 28, all of which were
headed to China, Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers, told CNBC
on Tuesday.
The
firm monitors vessel movements with satellite imagery, allowing it to
capture vessels that would otherwise go undetected if their tracking
systems are switched off. Many vessels have “gone dark” after Tehran threatened to attack any vessel attempting to pass through the waterway. ...
Over the years, China has built up large crude stockpiles, accumulating an estimated 1.2 billion barrels of inventory as of January, which could fulfill demand for 3 to 4 months, according to Atlantic Council. ...
U.S. forces sink 16 Iranian minelayers as reports say Tehran is mining the Strait of Hormuz
... A CNN report Tuesday
said that Iran had started laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, albeit
not extensively. Sources that CNN spoke to said only a “few dozen” had
been laid in recent days.
The report also said that Iran still retains more than 80% of its small
boats and minelayers, and could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the
waterway.
Located between Oman and Iran, the strait saw roughly 13 million barrels
of crude per day passing through it in 2025, representing about 31% of
all seaborne crude flows, according to energy consulting firm Kpler. ...
CBS News, which reported
that Iran “may be getting ready” to deploy naval mines, said the
country was using smaller crafts that can carry two to three mines each
to lay them in the strait. While Iran’s mine stock isn’t publicly known,
estimates over the years have ranged from roughly 2,000 to 6,000 naval
mines, the report said. ...
... the U.S. had decommissioned four Avenger-class minesweepers that were stationed in Bahrain in late 2025.
The
replacement vessels for the Avenger-class, the Independence-class
littoral combat ships, have “struggled to meet the requirements of
operational mine countermeasures missions,” according to global naval publication Naval News.
