Blockade on key shipping lane: Hundreds of tankers drop anchor in Gulf before passing through Strait of Hormuz

At least 150 oil tankers, including ships carrying crude oil and liquefied natural gas, have dropped anchor in the open waters of the Gulf beyond the Strait of Hormuz, and dozens more are stationed on the other side of the maritime choke point, according to shipping data released on Sunday, after US and Israeli attacks on Iran plunged the region into a new war.

The tankers are clustered in open waters off the coasts of major Gulf oil producers, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia, as well as liquefied gas giant Qatar, according to Reuters estimates based on ship tracking data from the MarineTraffic platform.

The new developments come after the Oman Maritime Security Center reported on Sunday that the Palau-flagged oil tanker Skylight was attacked about five nautical miles off Musandam, Oman. Four people were injured and the entire crew, consisting of 20 people, was evacuated.

The strait is the world's most important oil export route, connecting the Gulf's largest oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Asian governments and refiners rushed to assess their oil stocks, as well as alternative transport and supply routes, as the conflict with Iran disrupted shipping in the crucial strait, with oil prices expected to rise when trading resumed on Monday.

Asia will feel the hardest hit from any disruption in Middle Eastern oil supplies, as it buys two-thirds of its crude from the Gulf.

Half of what China, the world's largest importer, buys, and 90% of Japan's supply comes from this region.