At the beginning of the week, shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz decreased from 10 to 4 vessels per day after the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. This was reported by Reuters with reference to Kpler vessel monitoring data.
On Monday, 4 cargo ships passed through Hormuz, and the day before – 10.
Two dry cargo ships left the Persian Gulf through Hormuz – one loaded and one ballast. Two oil tankers entered the strait, both in ballast mode.
This data does not take into account vessels that have crossed the channel with the automatic identification system (AIS) transponders turned off in order to avoid detection.
Also on Monday, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf postponed planned negotiations with Iran on possible agreements on the Strait of Hormuz.
On Monday, 21 cargo ships passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the day before – 28 ships.
Iran's Fars news agency reported Monday that an oil tanker exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines in the Strait of Hormuz, without specifying exactly when the incident occurred.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily halted the East-West oil pipeline following a drone attack, posing a new risk to global oil cargoes and energy prices.