Shipping Traffic Plummets in Strait of Hormuz Amid Tensions

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, preliminary shipping data, as reported by Reuters citing Mehr News Agency, indicates a sharp decline in maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, with just two cargo vessels transiting on Monday. This stands in stark contrast to the ten ships that passed through the vital waterway on Sunday.

Data from Kepler, a maritime analytics firm, identified a Panamanian-flagged supramax bulk carrier carrying minerals and a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier as the two vessels that entered the Strait of Hormuz, though their specific routes were not detailed. These figures do not account for vessels that may have deactivated their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) to evade detection.

Prior to the escalation of conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, an average of approximately 125 large commercial ships, including oil tankers, gas carriers, bulk carriers, and container ships, regularly transited the Strait of Hormuz daily. This strategic chokepoint accounts for roughly 20 percent of the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supply.

Concurrently, Marisk Intelligence, a maritime tracking and intelligence company, reported that an oil tanker carrying crude oil and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessel were targeted in separate incidents while navigating the Strait of Hormuz. The oil tanker ‘LR Stephanie’ was struck by an unidentified projectile on Monday as it approached the strait, resulting in minor injuries to two crew members. The vessel is managed by Universal Tanker company. The previous day, the LPG carrier ‘Al-Meriah,’ flagged in Liberia, was targeted as it departed the strait. Both vessels were able to continue their journeys without requiring assistance from tugboats.

Meanwhile, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, 26 vessels passed on Monday, a figure unchanged from the preceding day.