Oman The Silent Partner In Hormuz. But India’s Energy Security Intact

This relatively small stretch of water — 167 km in length — has a width ranging from 97 km, to 39 km at its narrowest point. The channel connects the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf, and is the latter’s only sea passage to the open oceans.

The sovereignty of the Strait is divided between Oman and Iran, which is an aspect that has been little commented upon in the recent discourse over its significance.

Territorial Waters: Oman & Iran

It must be recalled that both Iran and Oman extended their territorial waters up to 22 km in 1959 and 1972, respectively. Thus, any vessel moving through the Strait is moving through the territorial waters of both nations during the passage.

Till now, neither country has ever declared its intention to block the Strait, which has rightly been described as a critical choke point for global trade in general, and more specifically, for oil and gas shipments. Oman has been keeping an extremely low profile during this period of extreme strife in the region.

Yet, maritime shipping publications report that traffic moving through the Strait over the past few days is keeping carefully within Omani territorial waters. There are now media reports of two large crude tankers having reversed course and withdrawn from the Strait, evidently due to worries over potential attacks by Iran.

What Iran Could Do

This could be in the form of drone launches, sea floor mines, or anti-shipping cruise missiles. The Oman Navy is also reported to be determined to maintain sovereignty over its sea lanes for the time being.

These reports must be viewed in the context of Oman’s role as a mediator in the Iran-US talks on the nuclear issue. It has also strongly condemned the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, thus putting it firmly on the latter’s side.

At the same time, it is reportedly keen to ensure that traffic in the Strait of Hormuz continues unimpeded. Iran may thus have to weigh the cost of disturbing harmonious relations with a supportive Gulf nation against the pressure to block the Strait.

Straitjacket For The World, Not India

There is no doubt, however, that the Strait is one of the world’s most critical choke points. As defined by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), a choke point is a narrow channel along widely used global sea routes that are critical to global energy security.

About one-fourth of the world’s crude and a fifth of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped through this sea route. Any disruption of movement through it could severely disrupt energy availability in many parts of the world.

As far as India is concerned, there are few concerns for the time being, even though 40 per cent of the country’s crude supplies traverse the Strait. This is largely because global oil inventories are high, and alternative suppliers in West Africa and Latin America are easily accessible.

Over the past few years, efforts to diversify supply sources have also borne fruit, and India is now importing crude from a wide swathe of countries. As much as a third of the oil demand is being met by Russia, while imports from the US have also risen substantially.

Closure of the Strait of Hormuz may thus remain a threat for the world, but India need not worry about energy security in the short and medium terms.

(The writer is a business journalist and columnist. Views are personal)