March 4 (Reuters) – The war between the United States and Iran intensified on Wednesday after a U.S. attack hit an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, deepening a crisis that has paralyzed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for a fifth consecutive day and disrupted the vital flow of oil and gas from the Middle East.
The attack by the American submarine on the Iranian ship came as US President Donald Trump promised to provide insurance and naval escort to ships exporting oil and gas from the Middle East in a bid to contain rising energy prices.
At least 200 ships, including oil tankers and liquefied natural gas tankers, as well as cargo ships, remained anchored in open waters off the coast of major Gulf producers including Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to Reuters estimates based on ship tracking data from the MarineTraffic platform.
Hundreds of other vessels remained outside Hormuz, unable to reach ports, according to shipping data. The waterway is a key artery for about a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supplies.
The Malta-flagged Safeen Prestige container ship was also damaged by a projectile while sailing towards the northern end of the Strait of Hormuz, leading the crew to abandon ship, according to shipping industry sources.
Qatar suspended its gas production and Iraq reduced its oil production as both ran out of storage space. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait were also struggling to load oil, but it was not yet clear whether they had reduced production.
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(Reporting by Jonathan Saul)
