DID Press: Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest level since May, with an average of just 10 commodity vessels a day passing through the strategic waterway over the past 10 days, according to shipping data from Kpler.
The decline comes amid renewed military confrontation between the United States and Iran and a series of attacks involving tankers in and around the strait. Kpler data showed that the 10-day average fell to 10 vessels on Sunday, down from more than 15 on Friday and nearly 13 on Saturday.
Editorial note: The latest Reuters figures differ from the figures in the original text. According to the latest Kpler data cited by Reuters, only two vessels transited the strait on Saturday and six vessels on Sunday, rather than 13 and 10 respectively. Most of those vessels used the Iranian route.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, carrying a major share of global oil and gas shipments. The sharp reduction in visible vessel traffic has raised concerns over disruptions to energy supplies and international trade. Reuters reported that no very large crude carriers had exited the strait since Wednesday.
The decline also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that American forces have control over the waterway. Independent ship-tracking data, however, indicates that commercial traffic remains severely depressed.