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Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb Traffic Edge Up as Security Risks Keep Shipping on Edge

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Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb increased slightly on Tuesday, but a rise in vessel movements has done little to signal a return to normal shipping conditions as security risks persist.

The latest data from MarineTraffic show that 14 vessels crossed Hormuz on Tuesday, up 16.7% from 12 on Monday.

The latest daily set included 2 sanctioned vessels and 3 shadow fleet vessels, MarineTraffic said.

A total of 11 vessels of the 14 on Tuesday used the Iranian unilateral transit scheme and none used the traditional traffic separation scheme. The remaining three were "route undetermined."

Traffic via Bab el-Mandeb rose to 40 crossings on Tuesday, up 14.3% from 35 on Monday, the maritime analytics firm said. This included vessels associated with dark, sanctioned and shadow fleets.

The increase comes despite continued warnings over attacks and the risks associated with transiting the southern Red Sea.

The higher traffic volumes suggest that commercial shipping has not stopped entirely, but Kpler said the two strategic waterways remained "active but fragile," with routing constraints, security incidents and diplomatic tensions continuing to affect voyage decisions.

The Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil and gas trade traditionally passes, remains particularly constrained.

Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority has rejected claims by US officials that the Strait is no longer blocked, saying the strategic waterway will not be reopened until Tehran's conditions are accepted.

The US military has also continued enforcing its blockade of Iranian ports. The US Central Command said that US forces had redirected 59 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as of Aug. 12 to ensure compliance with the blockade.

On Tuesday, the UKMTO said activity by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including hailing, drone overflights and targeted surveillance of merchant shipping, continued despite a lack of confirmed reports of attacks in the strait itself.

The maritime security agency reported two new attacks on ships in the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea, highlighting the widening threat to maritime trade.

Commercial traffic through the Hormuz remained suppressed, with independent tracking data showing single-digit numbers of tankers moving in each direction.

UKMTO also warned of the continued risk from drifting or uncharted mines in and around the traffic separation scheme.

Meanwhile, the International Maritime Organization's daily Strait of Hormuz incident tracker showed the total number of confirmed maritime security incidents in the region to be 65 as of Tuesday.

The IMO tracker provides a daily log of verified strikes on ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began, with the earliest incident recorded on March 1.

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