Pakistan Navy Escorts oil tankers to Karachi amid Gulf tensions

Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr ensures safe passage of national shipping amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Two oil tankers from the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), which were transporting oil during a critical period of a regional conflict, have arrived safely at Karachi Harbour under the protection of the Pakistan Navy. On Friday, officials announced that the oil tankers had been escorted from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates to the port city in Pakistan. This move is part of a larger effort to strengthen maritime security and protect oil shipments.

The oil tankers carried approximately 100-120 million litres of oil. The arrival of these oil tankers has provided some respite for Pakistan, which has become increasingly concerned about oil availability amid the worsening tensions in the region. The Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and particularly the Strait of Hormuz, which controls a fifth of the world’s oil shipments, has experienced a slowdown in oil shipments due to the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran.

The Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs in Pakistan, Mr. Muhammad Junaid Anwar, thanked the Pakistan Navy for the safe escorting of the tankers and for protecting the country’s sea lanes. The minister further stated that the Foreign Office has also been asked to take up the matter with Iran regarding the safe passage of the remaining two vessels that were stranded in the Persian Gulf due to the worsening security situation.

The escorting of the vessels by the Pakistan Navy is part of Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr. The operation is a broader security initiative by the Pakistan Navy aimed at ensuring that the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) and the country’s sea lanes remain secure and that commercial vessels can operate in the region. The crisis has resulted in a number of effects in the energy sector. The International Energy Agency stated that the world oil supply is expected to fall by eight million barrels per day due to the situation in the region. The reduction in oil supply is expected to be 8% of the world’s oil demand. In response to the crisis in the region, Pakistan has taken a number of measures to cushion the impact that the crisis is expected to have. The measures include increased fuel prices, directives for energy conservation measures, and alternative routes for the import of oil via the Red Sea.