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Hormuz Traffic Slumps as Tanker Attacks Raise Shipping Risks

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Commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was constrained last week, as escalating Middle East tensions and recent tanker attacks continued to deter vessel transits through the key energy choke point.

The latest data from Windward showed that 17 vessels crossed the strait as of Sunday, comprising 10 inbound transits along the southern US-assisted lane and seven on the northern Iranian-controlled lane.

The latest activity followed attacks reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, including an incident involving two vessels about 4 nautical miles west of Khasab, Oman, on Sept. 10.

The UKMTO later reported that a commercial vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Sept. 12.

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has continued activity around commercial shipping, including unmanned aerial vehicle overflights, targeted surveillance and occasional radio hailing of merchant vessels.

The IRGC said in a Monday statement that a supertanker exploded after striking naval mines as the vessel tried to transit the Hormuz through a restricted zone south of the strategic waterway.

However, the US Central Command posted on X that the IRGC's claim was false. It said that the Panama-flagged oil tanker was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable.

"This weekend, Iran struck the tanker again with a drone while the ship sat in waters off the coast of Oman. The tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner," according to the post.

Commercial traffic remains well below pre-conflict levels, the UKMTO said. Centcom said that the US forces have redirected 101 commercial vessels to ensure compliance with the blockade, as of Sept. 13.

Meanwhile, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority on Monday updated its list of vessels which it says have violated Iranian protocols governing passage through the waterway.

The authority said the list now includes 77 vessels and warned that ships could face penalties including fines, detention, or confiscation.

The International Maritime Organization's list of confirmed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East showed that the total number of maritime security incidents stood at 79 as of Sep. 14.

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

Elsewhere, the UKMTO said that no confirmed attacks or disruptions were reported during the latest period in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb.

However, commercial traffic remains below normal levels following the Houthi declaration on July 20 of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis have also seized Mokha port, Perim Island, Dhubab and the Hanish islands, consolidating the group's control over the Yemeni coastline and islands around the approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb.

The disruption in both the Hormuz and Red Sea comes as the wider Middle East conflict continues to threaten energy infrastructure and shipping routes.

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Oil & Energy

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