Hormuz traffic plunges after US blockade on Iranian ports

Shafaq News- Hormuz

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Wednesday, the first day after the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, according to data from shipping analytics platform Kpler.

Seven vessels were recorded transiting the strategic waterway, down from 13 a day earlier, with most of the ships using the Iranian shipping lane.

Four empty vessels entered the Gulf, including three small oil tankers and a grain carrier, while three vessels exited through the Strait carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), coal, and fuel oil, according to the data.

Kpler also tracked a Suezmax tanker carrying 1 million barrels of Saudi crude oil that passed through Hormuz on Tuesday after switching off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder.

No very large crude carriers (VLCCs) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers crossed the waterway.

Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice on July 12, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had fired on and intercepted vessels it accused of transiting unauthorized routes in violation of Iranian navigation directives. The IRGC warned that any military action against Iran over the incident would be met with a severe response, including strikes on additional US and allied bases across the region.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out successive waves of strikes on Iranian military targets in response. Iranian authorities said the strikes killed 35 civilians and injured 300 others. Seven members of the armed forces were also killed.

Before the Iran war, the strategic waterway carried about 20% of global oil supplies, making it one of the world's most important energy shipping routes.