Red Sea photograph

Red Sea

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Area438000
Max. width355 km (221 mi)
Max. depth3,040 m (9,970 ft)
Max. length2,250 km (1,400 mi)
Islands Tiran Island
Jabal al-Tair Island
Perim
Rocky Island
Hanish Islands
Did you knowApproximately 40% of the Red Sea is quite shallow (under 100 m/330 ft), and about 25% is under 50 meters (164 feet) deep.
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ID809258
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About Red Sea


The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez. The Red Sea is a Global 200 ecoregion.

US warship downs drones fired from Houthi-held Yemen in Red Sea

US warship downs drones fired from Houthi-held Yemen in Red Sea
Dec 3,2023 9:31 pm

...A US warship engaged and shot down three drones after three commercial vessels came under attack in the Red Sea, US Central Command has said...

Royal Navy sends second warship to Gulf

Royal Navy sends second warship to Gulf
Nov 29,2023 7:31 pm

... A US destroyer in the Red Sea has already intercepted missiles and drones - reported to have been launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen...

Japan condemns Yemen's Houthi rebels hijack of cargo ship in Red Sea

Japan condemns Yemen's Houthi rebels hijack of cargo ship in Red Sea
Nov 20,2023 12:11 am

...By Emily McGarveyBBC NewsJapan s government has strongly condemned the hijacking of a Japanese-operated cargo ship in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels...

Yemen's Houthi rebels hijack cargo ship in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebels hijack cargo ship in Red Sea
Nov 19,2023 1:41 pm

...Yemen s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels say they have seized an Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea...

Sudan conflict: ‘Our lives have become a piece of hell'

Sudan conflict: ‘Our lives have become a piece of hell'
Nov 17,2023 9:41 pm

... " Even those who escaped from Khartoum to the relative safety of Port Sudan, on the Red Sea coast, are often struggling to survive...

Arab and Muslim leaders blame West for Gaza misery

Arab and Muslim leaders blame West for Gaza misery
Nov 15,2023 2:41 am

... Washington s strategic alliance with the oil-rich Gulf Arab states dates back to 1945 and a wartime meeting on a US warship in the Red Sea between President Roosevelt and the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz...

Rumbling Middle East fault lines make this Israel-Gaza war different

Rumbling Middle East fault lines make this Israel-Gaza war different
Nov 13,2023 11:11 am

... They have all been brought down, so far, by Israel s air defences or by US Navy warships in the Red Sea...

Iran-backed Yemeni rebels shoot down US drone

Iran-backed Yemeni rebels shoot down US drone
Nov 8,2023 8:31 pm

... This includes troops being stationed onboard military vessels in the Red Sea, which lies between Yemen and Israel...

Iran tanker seizure: What is the Strait of Hormuz?

Nov 7,2023 9:31 pm

Hms Duncan in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route in The Gulf

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping route in The Gulf region, is at the centre of rising tensions. Two Royal Navy warships are now in The Gulf , to protect Ships sailing under The British flag.

So, what is the waterway and why does it matter?

What is the Strait of Hormuz?

Despite its small size, the Strait of Hormuz is one of The World 's most important shipping routes.

It is about 96 Miles Long and only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, with shipping lanes in each direction just two miles wide.

Bounded to the north by Iran and to The South by Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Strait of Hormuz connects The Gulf with the Arabian Sea .

The Strait is deep enough for The World 's biggest crude oil tankers, and is used by The Major oil and gas producers in the Middle East - and their customers.

At any one time, there are several dozen tankers on their way to the Strait of Hormuz, or leaving it.

How much oil goes through it?

About a fifth of The World 's oil, nearly 21 million barrels A Day , passed through the Strait of Hormuz last year.

In 2016, The Most recent year for which comparable figures are available, the Strait was The World 's busiest sea route for oil.

It carried about 19 million barrels A Day - More Than the 16 million barrels A Day that went through the the Strait of Malacca, a major international waterway in the Indian Ocean .

In comparison, just five or six million barrels A Day went via the Suez Canal and Bab el-Mandeb in the Red Sea .

The Strait of Hormuz is vital for the main oil exporters in The Gulf region, whose economies are built around oil and gas production.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia sent nearly 6. 4 million barrels of oil per day via the Strait , while Iraq sent More Than 3. 4 million, the UAE nearly 2. 7 million and Kuwait just over two million.

Iran also relies heavily on this route for its oil exports.

And Qatar, the biggest global producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), exports nearly all its gas through the Strait .

Strait of Hormuz oil shipments

Main destinations

Source: ClipperData

It has become particularly important in recent years for The Major economies in Asia.

Most of the oil going through the Strait in 2018 went to China, Japan, South Korea and India. And the US also imported nearly 1. 4 million barrels A Day via this route.

The UK does import some oil from The Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, as well as around a third of its liquefied natural gas.

Are there other routes for oil?

The Strait of Hormuz is still The Best route for transporting large volumes of oil out of The Gulf and is the only route by sea.

There are some land-based pipelines that can carry oil.

A Saudi pipeline goes to the Red Sea , and has a capacity of about five million barrels of oil A Day .

There've been A Number of attacks on tankers

Abu Dhabi has a pipeline that can carry about 1. 5 million barrels of oil A Day down the coast, to beyond the Strait of Hormuz. And there is a pipeline that can transport Iraq's oil to The Mediterranean coast.

But not all these pipelines are working at full capacity.

And they cannot transport nearly as much oil as can be carried by ship.

Does Iran control the Strait of Hormuz?

UN rules allow countries to exercise control up to 12 nautical miles (13. 8 miles) from their coastline.

This means that at its narrowest point, the Strait and its shipping lanes lie entirely within Iran and Oman's territorial Waters .

Conflict in the Strait of Hormuz

However, international conventions give Ships - including military Vessels - The Right of passage through a state's territorial Waters .

Iran is allowed to act in its own territorial Waters - But not at the expense of The Right of passage for foreign Ships .

The US has now beefed up its military presence in the region. But it has also said

And the UK



iran, royal navy, gulf crisis, uk-iran relations

Source of news: bbc.com

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