Israel-Iran war is jamming ship signals, Shell warns
The boss of Shell has warned that oil tankers are having their signals jammed when they pass through the Strait of Hormuz as the conflict escalates between Israel and Iran.
Wael Sawan, the chief executive of the FTSE 100 oil giant, said it had drawn up contingency plans in case the war in the Middle East leads to major upheaval in the crucial shipping route, which carries around a fifth of the world's oil.
He raised concerns about the disruption to shipping signals in the area, which has affected nearly 1,000 ships in the Gulf, according to Windward, the shipping analysts.
A collision involving tankers south of the Strait of Hormuz occurred on Tuesday, with both vessels catching fire.
Mr Sawan said: 'What is particularly challenging right now is some of the jamming that's happening.'
He told the Japan Energy Summit and Exhibition in Tokyo that Shell is 'being very careful' with shipping in the Middle East, adding that any blockage of the trade route risked triggering a substantial shock to the global economy.
Around 19m barrels a day pass through the strait separating the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean beyond, which is just 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point.
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