Strait of Hormuz: In News
Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker as it travelled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz recently, turning the ship into Iranian territorial waters in the first such interdiction in months in the strategic waterway.
- It is a narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, specifically the United Arab Emirates, and Musandam (Oman).
- The Gulf of Oman is on the strait’s east, while the Persian Gulf is on the west.
- It is the only sea channel linking the oil-rich Persian Gulf (west) with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea (southeast).
- Iran is located on the north coast, while the UAE is on the south coast.
- The strait is 167 kilometers long.
- At its narrowest point, the Strait of Hormuz is only 29 nautical miles wide (54 km).
- The strait consists of 2-mile-wide navigable channels (3 km) for inbound and outbound shipping as well as a 2-mile-wide buffer zone.
- Some of the islands located in the Strait of Hormuz are Hengam, Hormuz, and Qishm.
- The Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the world’s most economically important choke points.
- About 30% of the world’s liquefied gas and 25% of oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
