The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to most commercial shipping, with maritime traffic largely restricted to vessels linked to Iran as the Middle East conflict persists, Bloomberg analysis showed on Tuesday.
An Iraqi supertanker, which made a rare attempt to transit the strategic waterway, halted its passage and turned back after encountering a US naval blockade line, the analysis revealed.
The Iraqi crude-loaded tanker Agios Fanourios I, which reversed course on Monday after approaching US naval positions, halted its journey to Vietnam.
The vessel's unexplained U-turn highlights mounting risks for third-party shipping as Washington and Tehran enforce competing restrictions across the strategic waterway.
Meanwhile, a Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier, Mihzem, appeared to have successfully transited the Hormuz on Tuesday and is currently bound for Pakistan, according to ship-tracking data. A similar LNG shipment successfully navigated the strategic waterway over the weekend.
Commercial traffic through the Hormuz slowed to a trickle on Monday, with ship-tracking data showing transits were limited to a handful of Iranian vessels and a single bulk carrier.
The decline in activity comes as the US Central Command said in a social media post on X that the US Navy has diverted 62 commercial vessels since the start of a blockade on Iranian ports.
Outbound traffic for the day consisted of one Iranian liquefied petroleum gas carrier, two small fuel tankers, and a bulker. A regional cargo ship was also recorded following the same route.
Similarly, inbound transits comprised two Iranian bulkers and an oil product tanker. Two smaller bitumen carriers also completed the route.
Qatari authorities have instructed vessels operating near the country's primary LNG export facility to turn off their tracking systems, citing safety concerns. The LPG tanker Xin Ming Long reportedly ceased transmitting its location data on Monday while awaiting orders. Its current transit status remains unconfirmed.