There is not a good way to "guard ships on the sides" against hundreds of Shahed drones or small seaborne drones.
They would overwhelm any defenses and only a few would need to get through to destroy a tanker.
If multiple tankers are together in a line the risk becomes greater: more targets for the drones to hit and any fires or explosions on one tanker might spread to other tankers.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRImYairm1A
There is not a good way to "guard ships on the sides" against hundreds of Shahed drones or small seaborne drones.
They would overwhelm any defenses and only a few would need to get through to destroy a tanker.
If multiple tankers are together in a line the risk becomes greater: more targets for the drones to hit and any fires or explosions on one tanker might spread to other tankers.