Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains sparse, with recent attacks on ships and threats from Iran heightening safety concerns for owners and crew navigating the waterway.
According to data from Kpler, Tuesday saw subdued shipping activity. On Monday, six small vessels, including bulk carriers and an LPG tanker, activated their transponders to sail in both directions near Iranian waters. Among them was an empty crude oil tanker, the US-sanctioned Aframax vessel named Tiyara, which had been loitering off the coast of Oman since July before entering the Persian Gulf overnight. The Tiyara was observed moving into the Persian Gulf, heading toward Iran's Kharg Island.
A series of recent attacks have worsened the maritime security situation in the region. A security advisory firm reported that on Sunday, the supertanker Egypt Prosperity aborted an attempt to exit the Persian Gulf after receiving a direct radio threat, while its crew reported hearing explosions nearby.
Despite these tensions, crude oil continues to flow out of the Persian Gulf, primarily via tankers that have turned off their transponders, while empty vessels are moving under the cover of night. Data from Vortexa shows that since the weekend, four very large crude carriers (VLCCs) have transited the Strait of Hormuz to load cargo from the UAE, Iraq, and Qatar. In the Red Sea, the VLCC Bahla entered the waterway through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday with its transponder on, after having been stranded in the Gulf of Oman since early July.
Some tankers have shifted from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea region, as the shipping situation near the Persian Gulf remains unclear. Overall, visible two-way traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is dominated by dry bulk carriers, with only one Russian crude cargo vessel entering the Gulf of Aden on Monday.
Comments