Fifteen Turkish-owned vessels remain stranded in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday.
“There are 15 Turkish-owned ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” Uraloğlu said ahead of a meeting with lawmakers.
“We are in contact with all their personnel,” he added.
The minister made the remarks amid an ongoing war in the Middle East, now in its second week, which has already caused unprecedented disruption to regional maritime traffic.
Speaking to reporters, Uraloğlu stressed that Turkish authorities remain in close contact with the crews of the 15 stranded vessels.
“They are at a waiting point,” he said. “Their only difficulty is being there. Otherwise, there is no problem meeting their needs.”
Since 28 February, when Israel and the U.S. launched a joint military attack on Iran, Tehran has effectively closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
On Thursday, Iran’s military declared that it was in full control of the strait and would not allow any vessels associated with the U.S. or its “partners” to transit the vital waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for the transport of fossil fuels.
Under normal circumstances, roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil shipments - along with a significant share of liquefied natural gas exports - pass through the strait every day.
Major regional oil and gas producers - including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates - rely heavily on the waterway to transport energy supplies to global markets.
The ongoing regional war has sparked fears that the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger global energy price spikes and further destabilise an already volatile Middle East.
On Thursday, the International Energy Agency said the conflict - which shows little sign of ending soon - had already caused the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
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Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it has conveyed its initial position to the United States through Qatar over Washington’s response to Tehran’s seven-day plan aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
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