The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) has raised the threat level in the strait of Hormuz to "critical" as a result of several attacks on commercial vessels following an escalation in the US-Iran conflict.
The JMIC raised the threat level to critical on 1 March after three ships were damaged by missile and drone attacks in the Gulf of Oman, Musandam and UAE coastal waters.
The Norwegian Maritime Authority also increased the maritime security level to MARSEC/ISPS-level 3 — its highest — in the Mideast Gulf, the strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.
At least three commercial vessels have been attacked in the region according to the JMIC — the 11,000 deadweight tonne (dwt) oil product tanker Skylight, the 74,000 dwt crude oil tanker Mkd Vyom and the 47,000 dwt clean/chemical tanker Sea La Donna.
The additional security threat has cut down the number of ships transiting the strait of Hormuz and prompted some insurers to cancel war risk coverage in certain areas of the Mideast Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
