Trackers counted 25 transits through the Strait of Hormuz on or around June 18, and 42 inbound and outbound on June 28 in some dashboards. Before the war, the strait saw an average of roughly 50 to 100 or more vessels a day.
That was the picture at the end of June, according to Gulf News, which cited MarineTraffic, Kpler, Windward and Shipfinder. Daily counts ran from about 10 to 40 or more depending on the 24-hour window, how vessels were defined and whether ships had their AIS transponders on. The trackers noted a mix of oil tankers and cargo vessels, with some sanctioned or Iran-linked ships still operating. Many other vessels were held outside the strait or rerouted, and backups built up at times.
Talks that were and were not talks
The modest uptick came as diplomacy resumed after recent clashes. President Donald Trump said US-Iran talks on the strait, the nuclear program and an end to hostilities were resuming or scheduled, including a possible meeting in Doha, Qatar, as early as Tuesday. NPR reported disputes over details and no full confirmation from Iran in every case. Technical or indirect talks were under way or planned during a fragile ceasefire, it said.
Still thin in August
The recovery did not last. In a report dated August 20, preliminary data showed that only nine commodity vessels crossed the strait on a Wednesday, the same number as the day before. The route was not fully closed, but operators, energy companies and logistics firms were still weighing security risks, insurance requirements and operating costs before committing ships.
Fires on tankers in late October
By October 30 the war that began in February was still unresolved. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said three oil tankers had run into trouble on routes Tehran considers unauthorized in the eastern and western parts of the strait, and that all were stopped in its southern waters. The Guard said the ships had switched off their navigation systems and ignored radio warnings. It gave no names, flags, cause or crew conditions.
Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations center said a small boat attached two explosive devices to a tanker’s hull on Thursday evening, about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman. The Financial Times identified the ship as the Louise 1. The engine room caught fire, the crew was safe, and the vessel later resumed its voyage. Oman’s Maritime Security Center also reported that the Royal Navy of Oman evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged vessel that was attacked and burned off Musandam.
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said the main shipping lanes had been cleared of Iranian mines. Iran wants vessels to coordinate with its authorities and use routes closer to the northern shore, while ships trying to avoid Iranian control have taken the southern route. Qatari mediators were back in Tehran that Friday with a revised proposal. Trump told a Kansas City radio station the war would end “soon.”
Sources
- Shipping through Hormuz inches higher – traffic picking up but far from normal
- US-Iran Standoff Persists as Hormuz Shipping Faces Pressure With Global Trade, Travel and Tourism Risks Rising
- Iran reports three tankers on fire in Strait of Hormuz
