Peter Eavis

Thousands of civilian workers remain stranded on ships at risk of attack by Iran. On one vessel, sailors have been held by the Iranian navy for more than three months.

An explosion at a port on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast set fire to two ships, including a U.S. gas storage tanker, according to maritime tracking firms.

Attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait are disrupting the passage of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

The potential expense of a 20 percent charge to move oil and other goods through the strait has stirred concern among shippers.

Companies desperately want to get their ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz, but face mounting risks. “Things are becoming uglier by the minute,” one executive said.

The attacks came after traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had reached the highest levels since the start of the U.S. war in Iran.

Increased stockpiles, more pipelines and other tactics could loosen the waterway’s stranglehold on the global economy.

President Trump said more than 200 commercial vessels had safely traveled through the strait. That’s still far fewer than before the start of the war.

U.S. Central Command has helped around 70 commercial ships pass through the strait in the last three weeks, an official said.

Small companies that handle the final delivery are relying on them to skirt New York City traffic. Amazon plans to try the bikes elsewhere, too.