Only three commodity vessels crossed the vital shipping route Thursday as Iranian attacks, a renewed U.S. blockade and threats to halt oil and gas exports forced tankers to stop, turn back or avoid the strait.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest daily level since May as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran disrupted the world’s most important maritime route for oil and natural gas.
Only three commodity vessels crossed the strait Thursday, according to shipping data, as Iranian attacks on vessels and the resumption of a U.S. blockade targeting Iran-related shipping prompted most ships to stop, reverse course or avoid the waterway entirely.
The sharp decline in transits reflects the renewed escalation between Washington and Tehran, which has again brought most shipping through Hormuz to a halt and contributed to rising global energy prices.
Before the war, an average of approximately 125 vessels traveled through the strait each day. Only 11 crossed Wednesday, followed by three Thursday.
No Very Large Crude Carriers, known as VLCCs, or liquefied natural gas tankers passed through the strait Thursday, marking the second consecutive day without either class of vessel making a confirmed transit.
Two of the vessels that exited Thursday were the Miraan and the Norita.
The Miraan is a sanctioned product tanker carrying fuel oil, while the Norita is a smaller vessel transporting liquefied petroleum gas.
Both traveled out of the strait using the Iranian route but stopped after reaching the Gulf of Oman, where the U.S. blockade was operating, according to Kpler tracking data recorded as of 5:13 a.m. GMT Friday.
Another vessel, the Arolia, initially exited the strait early Friday before reversing course and heading back into the Persian Gulf several hours later, according to LSEG data.
The Arolia is a bunkering tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil used to refuel ships at sea.
The movement of larger oil tankers remained difficult to track amid the disruption. Two VLCCs reappeared on Automatic Identification System tracking outside the strait Thursday, each carrying approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil.
The Colombia Prosperity, loaded with Saudi crude, was traveling toward Okinawa, Japan.
The Costa Rica Prosperity was carrying Iraqi Basra Medium crude and was bound for Turkey.
Kpler’s database indicated that both tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz on July 13. S&P Global Energy assessed that they exited the waterway on July 14.
The differences in tracking assessments illustrate the challenges surrounding vessel monitoring as ships alter routes, stop transmitting or limit their visibility during the conflict.
The disruption has also affected oil operations farther inside the Gulf.
Iraq briefly suspended oil loading Thursday after a drone struck an oil tanker at the country’s Basra terminal, according to four Iraqi oil and security sources. Loading operations later resumed.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps escalated the threat to energy exports Thursday by declaring that no oil or natural gas would pass through the Strait of Hormuz while U.S. attacks continued, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
The warning threatens shipments from several of the world’s largest petroleum-producing countries, which rely on the narrow waterway to move crude oil, refined products and liquefied natural gas to international markets.
Iran has also signaled that the conflict could spread to another strategically important maritime passage.
Tehran could encourage its Houthi allies in Yemen to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait if Washington attacks Iranian infrastructure, according to sources.
The Bab al-Mandeb lies at the southern entrance to the Red Sea and connects shipping routes between the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.
Any attempt to disrupt both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb would place simultaneous pressure on two of the world’s most important energy and commercial shipping corridors.
The Strait of Hormuz serves as the principal outlet from the Persian Gulf, while the Bab al-Mandeb is essential for ships moving between Asia, Europe and North America through the Red Sea.
The latest shipping data show that the renewed conflict has already sharply reduced vessel movement through Hormuz even without a complete formal closure.
Tankers that continue operating face the possibility of Iranian attacks, interception under the U.S. blockade or being stranded after reaching the Gulf of Oman.
The scarcity of VLCC and liquefied natural gas tanker movements is particularly significant because those vessels carry enormous quantities of crude oil and gas to customers around the world.
A sustained interruption could limit available energy supplies, raise shipping and insurance costs and force vessels to travel longer routes.
Thursday’s three confirmed commodity transits represented only a small fraction of normal traffic and followed Wednesday’s already reduced total of 11 vessels.
With Iran threatening to prevent oil and gas exports while U.S. attacks continue and Washington enforcing its renewed blockade, shipping companies appear increasingly unwilling to risk sending vessels through the strait.
The resulting slowdown has transformed the Strait of Hormuz from one of the world’s busiest energy corridors into an increasingly deserted and dangerous passage as the U.S.-Iran conflict spreads across the Gulf.
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