Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic hits lowest since May after US-Iran strikes
Daily commodity ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to a 10-day average of 10, the lowest since May, after US and Iranian strikes on tankers.
The number of commodity ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest level since May, following reciprocal strikes by the United States and Iran on tankers in the region. Shipping data from analytics firm Kpler showed a 10-day moving average of just 10 vessels per day as of Sunday, down from over 15 on Friday and nearly 13 on Saturday.
Only two vessels transited the strait on Saturday, with six passing through on Sunday, mostly using the Iranian route. The sharp decline comes after U.S. Central Command said its forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including one near Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub. The strikes were in response to attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on U.S. warships in the area.
The IRGC navy said it retaliated by targeting three oil tankers travelling unauthorized routes in the strait, as well as three additional U.S. vessels elsewhere. Maritime intelligence firm Marisks identified the Iranian tankers as Downy, Stark I, and Kylo (also known as Noxen).
Marisks described the Saturday attacks as a "major escalation in the maritime conflict," noting that commercial tankers are now being deliberately used as tools of reciprocal economic pressure. This blurs the line between military confrontation and commercial shipping, the firm said, assessing risk as "extreme" for Iranian-linked vessels and "materially elevated" for U.S.-linked or U.S.-escorted shipping throughout the strait and Gulf of Oman.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported 27 projectile strike incidents since July 6, causing damage to vessels operating in and around the strait. Kpler data showed that on Sunday, one very large crude carrier (VLCC) and three bulk carriers carrying metals, grains, or oilseeds entered the strait. A tanker loaded with refined products from a Saudi port attempted to exit but was turned back, according to LSEG data. No VLCC has exited the strait since Wednesday.