A "new normal" of heightened risk and uncertain regulation is impacting the Strait of Hormuz, shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd warned Sunday, as military strikes escalated and conflicting routing directives plunged the waterway into operational chaos.The remarks from the German shipping giant also came as Tehran "simultaneously" began moving millions of barrels of crude oil from Kharg Island for the first time in days, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI."At Kharg, the T-Jetty and Western Terminal loaded simultaneously for the first time in days; the East Waiting Area holds 28 tankers, 27 dark, signaling the Iranian crude export cycle restarting," Windward AI said in a post on X.The outbound cargo consists of an estimated 4.12 million barrels of wet cargo, including crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons.Of that total, about 3.91 million barrels are crude oil, analytics firm Vortexa said.GULF SHIPPING OPERATIONS GRIND TO HALT NEAR IRAN, US QUIETLY PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE STRIKE: 'HEIGHTENED RISK'Commercial cargo vessels and crude oil tankers are anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Muscat, Oman, as they prepare to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global trade corridor.
(Shady Alassar/Anadolu)"We have to acknowledge that this is for some months the new normal in the Persian Gulf region," Hapag-Lloyd AG spokesperson Hanja Maria Richter told Fox News Digital."The situation has been fluid for us since the beginning of the conflict," she said before adding that constant vigilance has become essential to operating in the region."We have been making and still make regular risk and situation assessments with our security partners, all relevant authorities and our people on shore and, of course, on the vessels," Richter said."It is a region in conflict, so we consider this with every single ship we move in the region and assess the risks for every vessel and its crew individually."IRAN STARTS ‘INDISCRIMINATE’ STRIKES ACROSS GULF OF OMAN,...