Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained constrained as heightened military tensions, vessel inspections and security warnings pushed tanker operators to limit movements through the strategic waterway, maritime data showed on Friday.
The latest data from MarineTraffic showed just five vessel crossings through the Hormuz on July 30, down from 22 a day earlier, marking a 77% decline.
MarineTraffic said that all five transits were recorded through Iran's unilateral passage arrangement, with no vessels recorded using the International Maritime Organization's Traffic Separation Scheme or unidentified routing channels.
No shadow fleet crossings were reported, according to MarineTraffic data. "This is important because the drop in volume came at the same time as a narrowing of route diversity, suggesting that traffic did not just fall, but also became more concentrated around one passage pattern.
Traffic patterns continued to indicate a cautious operator posture following earlier attacks, and several shipping firms delayed or rescheduled passages, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said in a statement on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command said its forces had redirected 24 commercial vessels, disabled two vessels and boarded two others as of July 30 to ensure compliance with maritime security measures.
Data indicates that Hormuz traffic remained concentrated almost along the northern Iranian-controlled corridor, with only single-digit numbers of tankers moving in either direction during recent windows.
UKMTO said that US-facilitated transits increased marginally, but overall activity remained far below normal levels.
The reduced traffic comes as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continues to maintain a visible presence in the waterway. UKMTO said Iranian forces had carried out vessel hailing, drone overflights and surveillance activities targeting merchant ships, particularly those operating with active automatic identification systems.
However, the maritime security agency said that no newly confirmed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait were reported over the previous 48 hours.
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority reiterated that commercial passage through the strategic waterway was currently not feasible, citing what it described as continued aggressive actions by US forces in the region.
"Once stability is restored, all requests will be reviewed and permits issued progressively," the authority said in a statement on Friday.
Though Hormuz activity remained depressed, shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the southern Red Sea continued at higher levels. However, security concerns increased following a renewed attack on commercial shipping.
MarineTraffic data showed 47 crossings through Bab el-Mandeb on July 30, including 27 vessels entering the Red Sea and 20 exiting. The tracking data also identified four sanctioned vessel transits, eight shadow fleet crossings and one AIS-dark transit.
The UKMTO said commercial traffic continued through the Southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, but the security environment had deteriorated following a confirmed attack on a Saudi-flagged tanker.
Yemen's Houthis have reiterated claims that the Bab el-Mandeb is closed to Saudi-affiliated vessels, with recent statements focusing on ships perceived to have links to Saudi interests.