Vast ship clusters and speeding tankers point to Strait of Hormuz jamming amid Middle East conflict
The Straits Times
Electronic jamming is a practice which often spikes at times of heightened geopolitical tensions. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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DUBAI - At least a dozen clusters of ships have appeared near the Strait of Hormuz, a likely sign of elevated electronic interference around the waterway that is central to the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The groups, which can number more than 200 vessels for some clusters, contain ships of all types, with some that appear to be travelling at more than 100 knots, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
The maritime artery is a key focus for investors at present because its effective closure during the conflict has thrown the global energy market into disarray, forcing Persian Gulf producers to lock in oil output as storage capacity runs out.
The halt to normal flows initially lifted Brent futures towards US$120 a barrel, although contracts fell sharply on March 10 after US President Donald Trump signalled that the war may soon end.
“Over the past 48 hours, the situation has become ‘impenetrable’, said Mr Mark Douglas, a maritime-domain analyst at Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
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