Several shipping companies are choosing not to use a U.S.-military guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz following recent attacks on vessels, maritime security and shipping industry sources said. Reuters reported that seven sources described growing safety concerns that have led some ship operators to decline participation in the U.S. guidance arrangement. The reports come amid a wave of Iranian-linked attacks on shipping in the region, which has increased risk perceptions among commercial operators. For decades, most traffic through the strait has used the Traffic Separation Scheme, a set of designated lanes down the middle of the waterway established in 1968 by the UN’s shipping agency. In contrast, the U.S.-guided option involves military-led coordination intended to improve the security of transiting ships. The accounts indicate that, while the UN-established routing remains a longstanding standard, some operators are now treating the U.S.-guided scheme as less acceptable after the incidents. The sources did not provide specific numbers of ships declining the U.S. option or details on whether alternative procedures are being used during transits.