Strait of Hormuz traffic dips sharply as Iran-US tensions simmer
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels after US strikes, despite a calm Persian Gulf.
The Persian Gulf and the port city of Bandar Abbas presented a quiet picture on Friday, two days after US strikes in the region. Video footage from the area, located north of the Strait of Hormuz, showed ships moving through calm waters as residents watched from the coast.
The relative calm, however, masks a deeper disruption to one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints. The United States had struck Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait on Sunday, escalating hostilities between Washington and Tehran.
Data from Lloyd's List Intelligence shows that ship transits through the Strait have fallen sharply. Last week recorded 102 transits, down from 126 in the preceding week. Before the conflict, the waterway routinely saw 130 or more transits per day.
The decline reflects persistent fears of Iranian attacks on vessels that do not comply with Tehran's vetting regime. Despite the risks, significant volumes of oil are still moving through the Strait. Tanker operators are using a southern route near Oman's coast, navigating under the guidance of US forces in a shuttle trade that keeps supplies flowing.