Number of ships transiting Strait of Hormuz falls to three on Wednesday, data shows
NEW DELHI: Commodity vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz dwindled to just three ships on Wednesday, down from 12 a day earlier and well below the 10-day average of about 17, preliminary ship-tracking data showed on Thursday. The figures exclude any vessels that might have passed through the waterway with their Automatic Identification System transponders turned off to avoid detection. Of…
Preliminary data revealed that only three ships navigated the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, a significant decrease from the 12 vessels observed a day earlier and far below the 10-day average of around 17, according to ship-tracking reports released on Thursday. The figures do not include any vessels that may have passed through the waterway with their Automatic Identification System transponders disabled to evade detection.
Among the three ships, an empty Supramax dry bulk vessel entered the strait via the Iranian route, while an empty petroleum product tanker made its way through a covert route, as per shipping data from Kpler at 0445 GMT. A Panamax tanker also exited the waterway using a dark route, according to the data. The decline in vessel traffic this week coincided with the intensifying conflict in the Gulf, with Saudi Arabian warplanes bombarding Yemen and Houthi fighters deploying drones and missiles at Saudi cities.
The rapid advancement of Houthi forces in Yemen, coupled with attacks on Saudi Arabia and damage to the kingdom's East-West oil pipeline, has expanded Tehran's influence in the conflict and heightened concerns over potential disruptions to global oil supplies. In the Red Sea, vessel crossings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait decreased to 21 on Wednesday, down from 24 vessels a day earlier.
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