Tankers improvise to avoid Gulf tensions
Tankers are crossing sea-lanes and hugging the coasts to avoid high-risk areas in the Strait of Hormuz
About 20pc of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, and tanker owners are trying ingenious—or reckless, depending on your point of view—ways of navigating through it. Intertanko, representing the world's independent tanker operators, has issued rigorous advisory guidelines to cope with possible attacks. Operators are advised to post additional lookouts with night-vision binoculars, backed by searchlights, to watch for attackers after a string of mine and missile strikes in recent months. The guide, issued in July, advises tankers in the Strait of Hormuz to consider transiting at full speed, advice given this week by Norway to its flag-carr
Also in this section
27 February 2026
LNG would serve as a backup supply source as domestic gas declines and the country’s energy system comes under stress during periods of low hydropower output and high energy demand
27 February 2026
The assumption that oil markets will re-route and work around sanctions is being tested, and it is the physical infrastructure that is acting as the constraint
27 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress to take place in tandem as part of a coordinated week of high-level ministerial, institutional and industry engagements
27 February 2026
The deepwater sector must be brave by fast-tracking projects and making progress to seize huge offshore opportunities and not become bogged down by capacity constraints and consolidation
