TOKYO, March 1 (Reuters) - Japanese shipping firms are halting operations around the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran.
Nippon Yusen instructed its vessels to halt transit in the area on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company said.
A spokesperson for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said, "We are refraining from navigating through the Strait of Hormuz, and our related vessels have been instructed to remain in safe waters," adding that the safety of its crew, cargo and vessels is the "top priority".
A Kawasaki Kisen spokesperson said that several of its ships currently in the Persian Gulf are on standby, adding that unlike with other thoroughfares, there are no options for diverting the shipments.
"Until the situation stabilizes, we will not attempt to send vessels through the strait, nor dispatch additional ships towards the area," the spokesperson said.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, is one of the world's busiest oil chokepoints. Some 20% of global oil passes through the strait, along with large volumes of LNG.
(Reporting by Maki Shiraki and Kentaro Okasaka; Writing by Kevin Buckland; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
