Shipping associations have called on ship owners to inform Britain's Royal Navy of their movements before sailing into the Middle East Gulf and Strait of Hormuz because of the escalating international crisis in the region.
The Strait of Hormuz runs between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. About a fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait, making it one of the world's most strategically important waterways.
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The recent tensions in the Gulf, and especially Iran's attacks on several oil tankers, have prompted shipping companies to deploy more unarmed security guards as an extra safeguard.
However, in a joint note issued by the leading trade associations on Monday, ship captains were requested to register with the Royal Navy's liaison body, the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, and to provide their transit plans 24 to 48 hours before entering the region.
Details requested included the nationalities of crew members and ship speed constraints.
Video: Reuters
The information provided would be passed onto the US Navy and other naval forces involved in efforts to create a United States-led multinational security initiative known as Operation Sentinel. Washington says the plan is to increase surveillance of and security in key waterways in the Middle East.
"While the United States has committed to supporting this initiative, contributions and leadership from regional and international partners will be required," shipping association BIMCO said in a note accompanying the advisory.
One tanker owner said: "We will time transits for daylight hours and proceed at maximum speed."
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told parliament on Monday that Britain will seek to put together a European-led maritime protection mission to ensure safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized a British-flagged vessel in what London said was an act of "state piracy".
Stormy seas
The Strait of Hormuz provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, which is why it is considered so vital. The waterway is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 2 miles wide in either direction.
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the strait, including building pipelines, but those plans have yet to be realized.
The area is widely considered the world's chief oil conduit, as about 20% of the world's oil passes through it. According to the US Energy Information Administration, in 2018, 21 million barrels of oil – crude, petroleum products, condensate – flowed through the Strait of Hormuz every day. This is equivalent to about 21% of global petroleum liquids consumption.
Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq, all leading members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, move most of their crude via the strait. Qatar, the world's biggest liquefied natural gas exporter, sends almost all of it through the strait
The US 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, is tasked with protecting commercial shipping in the region.
Due to its global importance, the Strait of Hormuz has seen its share of conflicts.
During the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), both countries repeatedly disrupted each other's oil exports in what has come to be known as the "Tanker War."
In July 1988, the USS Vincennes, a guided-missile cruiser, downed Iran Air Flight 655 over the strait, killing all 290 aboard. Washington has always claimed this was an accidental shooting, but Tehran says it was a deliberate attack on a civilian plane.
In July 2010, the Japanese oil tanker M Star was attacked in the strait by a group calling itself Abdullah Azzam Brigades. The group was later linked to al-Qaida, which claimed responsibility for the attack.
In January 2012 Iran threatened to block the strait in retaliation for US and European sanctions aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program. A similar threat was made in July 2018, when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his navy could disrupt oil trade through the strait in response to US calls to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero.
Most recently, four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf just outside the strait. US officials have blamed Iran for the attack, something Tehran has called a "blatant lie."
Between June and July, several other tankers were attacked. Last week, the Royal Navy seized an Iranian tanker near Gibraltar, and in retaliation, Iranian commandos raided the British-operated oil tanker Stena Impero.
