The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday, Aug. 22, edition that the risk of a catastrophic oil spill around the Strait of Hormuz is increasing, maritime experts say. The Globe's Eric Reguly writes that the introduction of transponders and advanced navigation has improved shipping safety and reduced collisions. However, going "dark," usually for sanctioned or illicit vessels, poses significant risks. Since March 1, there have been 1,514 alarming dark crossings in and out of the Persian Gulf. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health director Kaveh Madani says: "When more ships become invisible, situational awareness declines. ... In a narrow and strategically congested waterway such as the Strait of Hormuz, reduced transparency adds another layer of environmental risk." Those risks are compounding across the region: Three different oil slicks are spreading through the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. None of the active spills have been directly attributed to a vessel's going dark. Yet experts warn that the tactics of wartime survival are now overlapping with the unsafe habits of illicit shipping. Disabled transponders eliminate the safety buffers designed to prevent oil spills.