Shipping data showed a further decline in maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at the start of this week, following an escalation in attacks across the Middle East.
Preliminary data from Kpler showed Tuesday that only four vessels passed through the strait on Monday, down from 10 the previous day.
Two dry bulk carriers left the waterway, one loaded and the other empty, while two oil tankers entered the strait, both sailing without cargo.
The figures do not include some vessels that may have transited the strait with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmitters switched off to avoid detection.
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported Monday, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that an oil tanker suffered an explosion and caught fire after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz. It did not specify when the incident occurred.
Arab Gulf states also postponed talks with Iran that had been scheduled to discuss potential agreements concerning the Strait of Hormuz, dealing a setback to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict and containing its impact on global oil supplies.
Yemen’s Houthis also said they had launched dozens of missiles and drones toward a military airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia, targeting aircraft, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots.
In the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Kpler data showed that 21 cargo vessels passed through the waterway on Monday, down from 28 the previous day.
Before the start of the Iran war on February 28, around 125 large commercial vessels typically passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day, including oil and gas tankers, bulk carriers and container ships. The traffic accounted for nearly 20% of the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Source: Reuters
