Strait of Hormuz Paralysis: Oil Tanker Traffic Comes to a Near Standstill
Following the attack on UAE oil tankers and the deadlock in talks between Washington and Tehran, there has been a sharp drop in cargo ship traffic in the strategic strait. Tracking data indicates a significant decline in the number of ships passing through the critical trade route, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and gas traffic passes.
Shipping traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz slowed to the point of near-total paralysis this past weekend, according to ship tracking data from Kpler reported by Reuters. The stagnation in traffic follows the recent attack on oil tankers in the region and coincides with a deadlock in talks between the USA and Iran aimed at resolving the conflict in the Middle East.
According to the data, only five cargo ships crossed the strait on Saturday, and zero were recorded on Sunday—a drastic decrease compared to the 31 ships that passed through the location the previous weekend. Among the vessels that entered the strait on Saturday was an empty Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off, as well as a large gas tanker flying the Indian flag traveling along the Iranian route. Simultaneously, a small tanker loaded with Iranian fuel exited the strait.
The sharp slowdown began after the UAE reported last week that three ships operated by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) were attacked during transit. Following these events, the USA clarified that it is capable of maintaining a naval blockade on Iran for an unlimited duration.
Although some vessels may pass through the strait undetected by disabling their transponders, current data remains far below routine traffic volumes. Before the outbreak of the war between the USA/Israel and Iran in February, more than 130 ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz daily, with approximately one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply passing through the waterway.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, addressed the situation in an interview with local media on Saturday, stating that Washington must fulfill Tehran's conditions regarding the strait for regular shipping to resume.
The maritime escalation is not limited to the Strait of Hormuz. In the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where Yemeni Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20, 49 cargo ship passages were recorded over the weekend—a decrease from 55 the previous week, with no movements of Saudi oil shipments recorded.
