Oil Producers, Shipowners in Standoff Over Who Takes Hormuz Risk

A ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Photographer: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images

Shipowners and charterers are struggling to agree on who should take on the risk of crossing the Strait of Hormuz, meaning relatively few vessel bookings are occurring.

It’s a reminder that, seven weeks into Middle East conflict, shipping goods through the world’s most important energy chokepoint remains intolerably risky for most operators.