Scientists are raising alarms that the prolonged suspension of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is creating a secondary environmental crisis.
The extended idling of thousands of vessels in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman risks turning these ships into vectors for invasive marine species, potentially spreading a potent biological mixture worldwide.
More than 1,500 ships remain idle in the Persian Gulf, with hundreds more anchored in the Gulf of Oman.
The stagnation of these vessels, combined with the disruption of normal cleaning and maintenance protocols, increases the likelihood that hulls and ballast tanks will release non-native organisms into new ecosystems.
This ecological threat compounds the existing economic and security pressures on global trade routes.
The warning comes as markets continue to price in the persistent shipping risk in the Strait of Hormuz.