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Hormuz blockade: A biological superspreader event?

08:53

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Brent Goff
August 15, 2026

The US-Iran war stranded hundreds of tankers and other vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Now many have sailed on with hulls covered in potentially invasive marine life, carrying an unexpected threat to ecosystems around the world.

A new scientific study has warned that ships which have spent months stuck in the Strait of Hormuz could help invasive species leap between ecosystems.

The authors describe it as a potential marine "bio-invasion superspreader event" that could threaten fisheries and coastal habitats worldwide. DW News asked marine ecologist Mario Tamburri for his assessment. 

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