Greece’s shipping ministry advised the nation’s vessel owners to review the use of the Strait of Hormuz after the US conducted air strikes on Iran.
Vessels planning to sail through the narrow point in the Persian Gulf should “reassess passage of the Straits of Hormuz” until the situation normalizes, the ministry said in a circular sent to vessel owners seen by Bloomberg.
If vessels do decide to transit, shipowners should adopt the highest security level available and maintain the maximum possible distance from Iranian waters, it added.
Freight rates already surged last week as tensions in the Middle East rose. Qatar asked liquefied natural gas vessels to wait outside the Strait of Hormuz until they’re ready to load. The Greek ministry cited concern around a possible closure of Hormuz as the reason for its notice.
Calls and emails to the ministry weren’t immediately responded to outside usual working hours.
Separately, the European Union’s naval force in the region raised its threat assessment for US-linked vessels as a result of the strikes. It now sees a severe threat to ships linked to the US and Israel and a low risk for all other ships.
“This does not exclude the possibility of all merchant vessels being targeted in the future,” it said in an update published by France’s MICA Center, which helps co-ordinate global maritime security.
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