Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to just two observed transits in the early hours of Thursday, according to Kpler analysis.
The Panama-flagged VLCC Berg 1 and the Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker Well Sail were the only movements identified during the period. Berg 1 had loaded crude at Iran’s Kharg Island, while Well Sail had loaded near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
The count may not reflect the full level of traffic because some vessels were switching off publicly visible automatic identification system transponders. Later movements included the VLCC Nissos Kea entering the strait and the VLCC Lila Vadinar leaving it. At least five ballast LNG carriers had also entered the waterway in recent days.
The Joint Maritime Information Center recorded 22 vessel transits on 8 July, down from 33 on 7 July and well below the historical average of about 138 ships per day. Eleven of the 8 July movements involved tankers of various types. JMIC maintained a severe threat assessment for the Strait of Hormuz, citing navigation interference, mine risks, radio calls to commercial vessels and pressure on ships to follow particular routes.
Traffic continued through the southern Omani corridor and a northern route controlled by Iran. Oman introduced a temporary traffic-management system grouping vessels, assigning transit times and directing ships through temporary corridors. Vessels may be required to wait in designated holding areas because the normal traffic separation scheme is considered unsafe.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy said transit capacity had recovered to about half of pre-conflict levels over the previous two weeks.
The International Maritime Organization said hundreds of vessels carrying about 6,000 seafarers remained unable to leave the Persian Gulf safely.
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