Ship movement drops in Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tension between US and Iran

Strait of Hormuz Reuters/Stringer The movement of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which around 20% of all global oil trade passes, decreased this week, amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. Maritime tracking data showed that although at least 22 vessels — all linked to Japan — have left the Gulf since Tuesday (7), overall daily traffic has reduced in the region. According to Reuters, shipping companies and governments are closely monitoring the situation in the Strait, following this week's Iranian attacks on commercial ships and the United States' retaliatory actions against Iran. Data from Kpler and LSEG show that at least five unloaded LNG tankers have entered the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.

Among them are the GasLog Shanghai, operated by the Greek shipping company GasLog, and four vessels linked to QatarEnergy: Al Samriya, Al Dafna, Al Gattara and Al Rayyan. According to the data, the GasLog Shanghai and Al Rayyan likely entered the Strait of Hormuz during the early hours of the morning after being spotted outside the waterway on July 9. The other three ships linked to QatarEnergy had last been seen off the west coast of India, outside the Strait of Hormuz. According to the data, Al Samriya and Al Gattara were identified in the region between June 18 and 19, while Al Dafna last appeared on June 29. QatarEnergy and GasLog did not immediately respond to Reuters' after-hours requests for comment. The supertanker Nissos Kea entered the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, while the Lila Vadinar left the sea passage. "What has changed since the beginning of the conflict is that Iran has started attacking vessels using the Oman route, instead of targeting all ships. This could lead to more vessels opting for the Iranian route or adopting more discreet measures when crossing the strait," said Xavier Tang, senior market analyst at Vortexa. Industry sources told Reuters that vessels have been turning off public AIS tracking systems more frequently, making it difficult to monitor all ships crossing the strait. A Kpler analysis of ships that can be monitored showed that daily traffic of oil tankers and LNG tankers fell on Thursday to the lowest level since June 28. There were 10 vessels transiting the strait, compared to 14 on Wednesday and 22 on Monday. Attacks between the US and Iran On Wednesday night (8), US Central Command forces carried out a new round of attacks against Iran, with the aim of reducing the country's ability to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The military action hit around 90 strategic targets along the Iranian coast. Among the structures destroyed or damaged are air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities and military logistics infrastructure. READ MORE What the Strait of Hormuz is, essential for world oil Understand what is behind the new wave of attacks between the US and Iran Although Iran does not own the sea route, it controls the northern coast of the strait, as well as several islands and military positions. This allows the country to monitor practically all vessel traffic in the region. In recent years, Iran has turned this geographic position into an instrument of political and military pressure. After the start of the war, the country closed the strait to gain an advantage at the negotiating table. Currently, the Iranian government advocates that the world recognize the country's sovereignty over the maritime route. *With information from Reuters news agency.

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