Iran War Could Unleash a Marine “Super-Spreader” Event as Stalled Ships Resume Trade

Researchers warn the Iran war could trigger a marine “super-spreader” event as more than 1,500 ships sit idle near the Strait of Hormuz. The concern is that prolonged stalling allows biofouling—like microbes, algae, barnacles, and invertebrates—to colonize hulls. When traffic resumes, those organisms could be transported to new ecosystems, where invasive species may be hard or costly to eliminate. Studies cite warm, salty conditions and the massive number of affected ships as reasons the risk is unusually high.