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[INTERNATIONAL] · United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar · 9 sources

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Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic drops amid US-Iran tensions

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has declined sharply due to escalating military tensions between the United States and Iran. According to data from Kpler, only 12 commodity vessels transited the waterway over the recent weekend, a significant drop from the 35 vessels recorded during the same period the previous week.

Before the onset of the current conflict on February 28, the strait typically saw approximately 125 large commercial vessels passing through daily. The waterway is a critical global energy corridor, handling roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas trade.

While visible traffic has dwindled, some maritime activity remains unrecorded as certain tankers have disabled their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) to avoid detection. Additionally, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has rerouted 109 commercial vessels through September 20 to comply with a naval blockade on Iran.

In a related development, the Iranian Army reported the downing of a US Orbiter reconnaissance drone. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has seen a recovery in crude exports, rising to over 4 million barrels per day in early September, partly due to increased usage of the Strait of Hormuz.

Entities

CENTCOM · Iran · Iran · Kpler · Saudi Aramco · Strait of Hormuz · US Central Command · United States · United States

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