Strait of Hormuz ship crossings remain in single digits

Ship crossings through the Strait of Hormuz have dropped to single digits, according to preliminary shipping data released on Wednesday. This significant decrease follows an intensification of regional attacks. The waterway, which handles one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply, typically sees an average of 18 vessels transiting through it daily.

However, only four vessel transits were recorded on Tuesday, a sharp decline from the seven crossings reported the previous day. The ships involved were a mix of those exiting and entering the Strait, with no very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers being counted. Some vessels may be sailing through with transponders turned off, hence not being included in the count.

Among the vessels that did pass through were a very large gas carrier, Salute, carrying approximately 470,000 barrels of liquefied petroleum gas, and a Panamax-sized tanker, Nautilus, carrying around 510,000 barrels of naphtha. Both exited via the Iranian route. Meanwhile, the number of ships sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remained steady at 22, a slight change from the previous day's count of 24.