Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has seen a sharp decline, with only four transits recorded on Tuesday, a decrease from seven the previous day, according to preliminary shipping data. This fall is significantly below the 10-day average of 18 vessels, highlighting growing concerns over safety in the region, particularly in light of increasing attacks following the onset of the Iran war.
On Tuesday, the movement consisted of two ships entering and two exiting the strait. Notably, no very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers were involved in this traffic. It is also possible that some vessels are navigating the waterway with their transponders switched off, which causes them not to be accounted for in the official data. Among the ships reported, the very large gas carrier Salute, carrying approximately 470,000 barrels of liquefied petroleum gas, left via the Iranian route, and the Panamax-sized tanker Nautilus, filled with about 510,000 barrels of naphtha, took an unknown, less tracked route.
In contrast, traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remained relatively stable at 22 vessels, with only a slight decrease from the previous day’s total of 24.
