Royal Dutch Shell informed that is not taking any British-flagged tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, in the midst of increased tensions with Iran, in the vital chokepoint for oil shipments. Shell now joins BP, which is also avoiding sending vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
As Reuters reports, in case Shell uses a UK-flagged vessel in the future, it will be escorted by the Royal Navy as a precaution.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
In addition, a few days ago BP also informed that it had not taken any of its own tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, after the July 10 attempt by Iran to seize one of its vessels.
This incident came two weeks after the UK seized an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar, which was suspicious of breaching European Union sanctions on Syria.
Except for BP, Gaslog as well will not allow its ships to transit the key waterway without having a naval escort, complying with advice from its flag state Bermuda. Currently, Gaslog has 26 LNG carriers on the water.