Hapag‑Lloyd’s fleet chief, Silke Lehmköster, says she does not believe a rapid military escort will keep merchant ships safely through the Strait of Hormuz. “There is great hope, but our expectations are comparatively low” she told “Der Spiegel” as the war in the Persian Gulf continues. The United States Navy, she says, is preoccupied with other duties and cannot give the escort that merchants need.
Lehmköster, who is herself a ship’s captain, explained the practical limits of a naval escort. “Vessels keep moving, so an escort would have to stay close to the merchant ship” she said. “Naval vessels can only provide air‑space defence within a certain radius. That means you’d need a warship wherever there is a merchant vessel”. With the hundreds of ships – many belonging to Hapag‑Lloyd – stranded in the Gulf, scaling this arrangement proves impossible.
The situation worsened after Iran imposed a ban on transit through the Hormuz Strait. Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the U.S. Navy would “begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, if necessary” offering a promise that has so far remained difficult to fulfil.
