Strait of Hormuz Shipping Traffic Falls to One-Week Low as Shipowners Avoid Waterway

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest level in a week on Tuesday, as shipowners continued to avoid the waterway amid hostilities in the Middle East, according to shipping data cited by Reuters.

Kpler tracked eight vessels in the strait, below the 10-day average of about 12 and the lowest daily total since Aug. 5. Separate LSEG data recorded 11 transits on Tuesday, down from 14 the previous day.

Of the eight vessels tracked by Kpler, one coal carrier exited the strait while seven vessels entered. All seven inbound vessels used the route running along the Iranian coast, according to the data. The other vessels remained in transit.

The figures underscore the continued decline in traffic through the strategic waterway as shipowners assess risks linked to the regional conflict.

Traffic Remains Well Below Previous Levels

About 130 to 140 vessels typically crossed the Strait of Hormuz each day before Iran closed the waterway following the start of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Feb. 28, according to reported data.

Tehran has said the strait will remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions. The decline in vessel numbers came as the United States and Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen reported separate attacks, while prospects for an end to the conflict between Iran and the United States remained uncertain.

Kpler and LSEG use different measures of vessel traffic, but both showed a decline in activity on Tuesday. Kpler’s count of eight vessels was the lowest in a week, while LSEG’s total was three transits below the previous day’s figure.

Reuters reported that the seven vessels entering the strait used the Iranian route. Only the coal carrier had exited at the time of Kpler’s reading, while the remaining vessels were still transiting the waterway.

Separate Reports of Maritime Confrontations

The maritime confrontation around Iran widened on Tuesday, according to a report by Iran International. The report said U.S. forces struck a vessel heading to Iran and that the Houthis attacked a vessel in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

U.S. Central Command said a Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged Villa Nova after its crew ignored repeated warnings and continued sailing toward an Iranian port, disabling its steering system. CENTCOM said the naval blockade remained in effect and that U.S. forces had diverted 55 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as of Tuesday.

Reuters also reported, citing sources in the Yemeni coast guard and government military officials, that a cargo vessel was attacked in the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Tuesday, killing three crew members. The Houthis are aligned with Iran, according to the report.

The Joint Maritime Information Center said attacks, attempted attacks and harassment by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards continued in the Strait of Hormuz, including drone overflights, calls to vessels and targeted monitoring of commercial ships, according to Iran International.

Diplomatic Contacts Continue

Pakistan and Qatar indicated progress in mediation efforts over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran International. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran as Islamabad continued its mediation efforts.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said indications in recent days suggested that the United States and Iran were moving closer to “some kind of arrangement.” Qatar said Iranian-Omani negotiations had reached an advanced stage, according to the report.

Iranian officials, however, stressed that any arrangement involving a transit route would not by itself lead to the reopening of Hormuz. Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said the strait would remain closed unless Washington changed its behavior and accepted Iran’s conditions, according to Iran International. Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, similarly said the strait would not reopen until Iran’s conditions were met.

Bab al-Mandab Traffic Rises

Shipping data showed a different pattern in the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Kpler recorded 30 vessel transits through the waterway on Tuesday, above the 10-day average of 25.

The contrast showed that shipping traffic through Hormuz remained sharply depressed, while vessel traffic through Bab al-Mandab exceeded its recent average. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the seven-day average of oil leaving through the Strait of Hormuz had risen to about 9 million barrels per day, while total regional flows, including shipments through pipelines and export facilities, averaged about 15 million barrels per day, according to Iran International.

Tuesday’s figures, however, showed that traffic through Hormuz remained limited, with Kpler tracking only eight vessels and LSEG recording 11 transits.