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Dark oil tanker spike near Strait of Hormuz raises spill risk

Vessels are increasingly turning off location devices while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a practice that heightens the risk of collisions and potentially catastrophic spills.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Energy

The New York Times reports a growing number of so-called dark oil tankers are transiting the Strait of Hormuz with their location devices turned off.

According to the outlet, the behavior is intended to reduce detection and evade attacks by Iran, but it also increases the risk of collisions.

The report links the rise in vessel tracking outages with a broader increase in unsafe navigation conditions in the heavily trafficked waterway.

As more ships use the dark mode to avoid scrutiny, the potential consequences extend beyond individual incidents, raising concern about catastrophic oil spills.

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