Israel to allow increased tanker calls at Port of Eilat

The Israeli government has confirmed its plan to allow an increase in the number of tankers that will berth to unload oil cargo at the Port of Eilat on Israel's Red Sea coast.

The move is in line with the government's program of maintaining the country's energy security amid tensions in the region.

The plan calls for the lifting of restrictions that were originally imposed by the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2021. The restrictions aimed to limit the number of tankers unloading oil at the port, which lies near a coral reef as well as numerous resorts and beaches.

Israel began relying on oil originally slated for export as its main energy source shortly after the country's Tamar offshore gas field was shut following the October 2023 onset of the ongoing conflict with Palestinian militant organisation Hamas.

Local environmental regulators and the mayor of Eilat have opposed the planned lifting of restrictions.