Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest level since May.

 

According to the latest maritime data, only three cargo ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the lowest number since May. Many ships have been forced to halt their voyages or turn back following new Iranian attacks and the US reimposition of a blockade on vessels linked to Tehran's maritime activities.

Recent developments show that tensions between the US and Iran are continuing to disrupt traffic through the Hormuz – the world's most important shipping lane for oil and gas – and increasing pressure on global energy markets.

Traffic through the Hormuz has dropped sharply.

Data from Kpler as of 05:13 GMT on Friday shows that the Miraan – a petroleum product carrier subject to sanctions – and the Norita, which transports liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), left the Strait of Hormuz via Iranian shipping lanes but stopped in the Gulf of Oman, an area currently subject to US controls.

Meanwhile, LSEG data indicates that the Arolia – a refueling vessel used for bunkering operations – turned back towards the Persian Gulf just hours after leaving Hormuz.

The day before, the entire strait recorded only 11 ship transits, significantly lower than the average of around 125 ships per day before the conflict broke out.

For two consecutive days, no VLCCs or LNG trains have passed through Hormuz.

Notably, Thursday marked the second consecutive day without any very large crude oil tankers (VLCCs) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

However, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) still detected the presence of two VLCCs in the area outside the strait. Both have a carrying capacity of approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil.

In there:

● Colombia Prosperity is transporting Saudi Arabian crude oil to Okinawa (Japan).

● Costa Rica Prosperity is transporting Iraqi Basra Medium crude oil en route to Türkiye.

According to Kpler data, the two ships passed through Hormuz on July 13th, while S&P Global Commodity Insights suggests they only actually left the area on July 14th.

Risks continue to spread in the region.

The impact of the conflict also began to directly affect oil exports in the region.

Four sources in Iraq's energy and security sectors told Reuters that the country had to temporarily halt oil loading operations at the port of Basra on Thursday after a drone attacked an oil tanker. Exports were only allowed to resume after the situation temporarily stabilized.

Meanwhile, according to the Tasnim news agency, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared that it will not allow any oil or gas shipments to leave the Strait of Hormuz if US airstrikes continue.

Reuters sources also indicated that Tehran is considering encouraging Houthi forces in Yemen to extend pressure into the Bab al-Mandeb Strait – a strategic gateway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden – if Washington continues to attack targets inside Iranian territory.

If this scenario occurs, the world's two most important energy transport routes risk simultaneous instability, significantly increasing risks to the global oil, LNG, and shipping supply chains.