Biologists say ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz pose a ‘super-spreader’ bioinvasion threat

Marine biologists warn that more than 1,500 commercial ships stranded in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman may have built up heavy biofouling during the Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict.

If trade resumes without cleaning, the vessels could carry invasive microbes, algae, and invertebrates into new waters and trigger a large-scale bioinvasion.

The study urges pre-departure cleaning, safe debris disposal, and coordinated biofouling management to reduce a serious biosecurity and ecological risk.