New Delhi, July 10 -- The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), a Bahrain-based information-sharing hub operated by the 47-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), has advised commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to exercise heightened caution, saying the maritime security threat in the strategic waterway remains at a "severe" level despite the availability of expanded transit routes.

In Advisory Note issued on July 10, JMIC, which facilitates coordination between commercial shipping and naval forces, urged shipowners, operators and mariners to maintain close coordination with the US Navy's Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) while navigating the Strait, one of the world's busiest energy shipping corridors...