War against Iran
Strait of Hormuz: Dozens of German ships are stuck
March 11, 2026 – 10:15 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The situation is getting worse in the Strait of Hormuz, with dozens of ships piling up in the strait. German shipping companies are also affected – and are demanding help.
The war in the Middle East is also affecting German shipping companies. Around 30 German ships from ten shipping companies are currently stuck in the war zone on the Persian Gulf, the Association of German Shipowners (VDR) said at the request of “Wirtschaftswoche”. Their only way into the open sea is through the Strait of Hormuz, but the important strait is increasingly impassable.
Dozens of ships are currently piling up on both sides of the strait for fear of Iranian attacks. On Wednesday alone, three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz became targets of suspected Iranian attacks. The regime in Tehran is also threatening to mine the strait. This would make the sea area impassable for a long time, as the recovery of sea mines is extremely complex – and hardly possible under wartime conditions.
US insiders reported on Wednesday that Iran had already laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The report has not yet been confirmed. The US Army is currently targeting Iranian boats that could lay sea mines. At the same time, US President Donald Trump called on ships in the region to pass through the strait despite Iranian threats.
The de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to hostilities has caused prices for crude oil, gas and, as a result, gasoline and diesel to rise worldwide. More and more countries are opening their strategic oil reserves to cushion the rise in prices, including Germany and the USA. About 20 percent of the world’s traded oil is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. The region is also important for the global supply of natural gas.
In the “Wirtschaftswoche” the Association of German Shipowners called for internationally coordinated protective measures in which Germany should also participate. “Merchant ships are civilian ships with unarmed crews and can hardly protect themselves against military attacks,” Carsten Duif from VDR told the magazine.
