The U.S. military has helped more than 1,000 vessels navigate the Strait of Hormuz since May, using a southern corridor near Oman to keep millions of barrels of oil moving each day despite repeated Iranian attacks on commercial shipping.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The U.S. Navy has been quietly protecting commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, helping tankers navigate a southern route near Oman as Iranian attacks have sharply reduced traffic through one of the world’s most critical oil corridors.
More than 1,000 ships have received U.S. military assistance while transiting the waterway since May, according to U.S. Central Command, as American warships, aircraft and helicopters maintain a defensive presence intended to protect commercial traffic from Iranian drones and missiles.
The operation has allowed a substantial amount of crude oil to continue leaving the Persian Gulf even as many commercial operators remain unwilling to risk passage through the strait.
Before the conflict, approximately 15 million barrels of crude oil moved through Hormuz each day. Traffic fell dramatically after Iran began attacking commercial shipping, leaving only a small percentage of tankers continuing to make the passage during much of the war, according to a New York Times report.
With U.S.-protected traffic increasing, analysts cited in the report now estimate that approximately 5 million barrels of oil per day are passing through the strait.
The protected route runs through the southern portion of Hormuz. Vessels stay closer to the coastline of Oman and farther from Iran, reducing their exposure while placing them within an area where U.S. forces can respond to threats.
Tanker operators planning to make the crossing coordinate their voyages with the American military. Commercial crews can also report possible attacks or emerging threats, allowing U.S. ships and aircraft to respond.
The arrangement has kept the corridor open, but it has not eliminated the danger.
At least 15 ships traveling through southern routes have been struck since the beginning of June, according to a New York Times analysis of International Maritime Organization data.
Those attacks killed two mariners and injured another 16.
Another vessel was struck near Oman this week, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an organization administered by Britain’s Royal Navy. One crew member was killed in that attack.
Greek shipping company Dynacom also suffered attacks against two of its tankers on July 19. Both vessels were hit, and one was ultimately abandoned, according to the International Maritime Organization.
The United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company ADNOC has reported even broader damage to its fleet.
According to the company, 18 of its vessels have been attacked during the conflict. One crew member was killed and another 20 were injured.
Despite those incidents, the southern shipping corridor has continued operating.
Shipping analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann described the route’s continued functioning as an unexpected success given the frequency of attacks and the military risks surrounding the waterway.
The effort has also imposed substantial operational demands on American forces.
The Navy currently has approximately 20 warships positioned in the Gulf of Oman, maintaining the defensive presence necessary to protect vessels while remaining within striking distance of Iranian missile systems.
Logistical complications have added to the burden.
After Iranian attacks damaged the U.S. Navy’s base in Bahrain, American supply ships were forced to make longer voyages to Diego Garcia, the British territory in the Indian Ocean. The change adds more than five days of travel in each direction for supply operations.
The American escorts have not returned Strait of Hormuz traffic to anything approaching its prewar volume.
Many major commercial shipping companies continue to avoid the waterway and are expected to remain cautious until a durable cease-fire reduces the threat to vessels and crews.
The difference remains substantial: roughly 15 million barrels of crude traveled through Hormuz each day before the conflict, compared with an estimated 5 million barrels daily under current conditions.
Even at that reduced level, however, the U.S.-protected route has prevented the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf from collapsing altogether.
By keeping millions of barrels moving through the southern corridor each day, the Navy’s operation has helped preserve a critical outlet for global energy supplies while limiting the possibility that attacks in the strait could produce an even larger disruption in international oil markets.
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