Closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatened by Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, would be “disastrous” for the crude tanker market, says Alphatanker.

The Paris-based tanker intelligence publication reports that more than 13 million barrels per day of crude would be removed from the market, the equivalent of six VLCC shipments per day, despite various alternative export routes.

Rouhani warned in a veiled message that the Gulf passageway could be blocked in response to potential sanctions by Washington, following the US exit from the 2015 nuclear agreement.