Three ships of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) have reportedly been prevented from continuing onward towards the Strait of Hormuz as tensions have been mounting in the Middle East, private news channel reported citing sources.
Orders have been passed for the vessels named Karachi, Lahore and Khairpur as they sailed to carry oil cargo aboard of them.
Sources suggest that ships Lahore and Khairpur have been ordered to be kept anchored at Fujairah Port of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The vessel Karachi has been ordered to anchor at the Gwadar Port in Pakistan meanwhile.
All three ships were reportedly carrying Pakistanis working on them at the time these instructions were issued.
The Strait of Hormuz is a particular area of strategic importance between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
It is the only sea route through which the Persian Gulf connects with the open sea, so it is one of the world’s most important maritime choke points.
The strait is around 104 miles long with its width varying from approximately 60 miles (97 km) at its widest point and around 24 miles (39 km) at its narrowest point.
It is regarded as the most important oil export route in the world connecting major oil producing countries in the gulf namely Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and United Arab Emirates with world’s shipping route via the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea.
The tensions are high due to US and Israel military strikes on Iran. The military strikes have resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The death has resulted in anger and mourning in Iran. International reactions have been pouring in from around the world. Calling for restraint and lowering the tensions.
One of the most notable reactions were from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani who labelled the US-Israel strikes on Iran as illegal aggression on social media site X (formerly Twitter).
Also read: Zohran Mamdani calls US-Israel strikes on Iran “illegal aggression”
