Pakistan halts PNSC vessels from entering Strait of Hormuz

ISLAMABAD: Three ships operated by the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) have been prevented from proceeding towards the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. ARY News reported, citing sources.

Orders have been issued concerning the ships Karachi, Lahore and Khairpur, which had set sail to transport oil.

مشرق وسطیٰ کی صورتحال، پی این ایس سی جہازوں کو آبنائے ہرمز جانے سے روک دیا گیا#ARYNews pic.twitter.com/q50Lvrt2pw

— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) February 28, 2026

Sources said the vessels Lahore and Khairpur have been instructed to remain at Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At the same time, the vessel Karachi has been directed to anchor at Gwadar port in Pakistan.

All three vessels were carrying Pakistani crew members at the time, the sources added.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf Of Oman . It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world’s most strategically important choke point .

The strait is about 104 miles long, with a width varying from about 60 mi (52 nmi; 97 km) to 24 mi (21 nmi; 39 km).

The strait of Hormuz is the world’s most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.