Shipping data revealed that the number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell further at the start of the week, amid heightened caution following a fresh exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran.
اضافة اعلان
Data from market intelligence firm Kpler indicated that four commodity cargo vessels transited the strait on Monday—mostly utilizing the Iranian shipping lane—down from seven the previous day.
The four ships included two outbound tankers and two inbound vessels. Of the two exiting the strait, one was carrying petrochemicals, while the other was unladen.
Meanwhile, among the two inbound tankers entering the strait, one was carrying bitumen and the other oil.
No Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tankers were observed transiting the strait on Monday.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday that it had received multiple reports of a tanker transmitting a message stating it was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.
The war with Iran erupted on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, to which Tehran responded by shutting the Strait of Hormuz—which prior to the war served as the primary waterway for roughly a fifth of global energy supplies.
A fragile truce between Iran and the United States collapsed following reported Iranian attacks on vessels transiting the strait, a primary flashpoint in the conflict. Iran's control over the strait has granted it immense leverage, effectively allowing it to hold a major bargaining chip.
