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Shipping Traffic Below Pre-War Levels in Strait of Hormuz; Red Sea Shipping Holds Steady

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Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained subdued on Thursday amid continued disruption at one of the world's key energy chokepoints.

UK Maritime Trade Operations reported one confirmed attack during the 48-hour reporting period, involving a Saudi oil tanker.

The UKMTO said that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continued attacks, attempted attacks and harassment activity, including unmanned aerial vehicle overflights and targeted surveillance of merchant shipping.

Traffic through the strait remained well below normal levels despite a modest recovery from recent lows.

UKMTO said that independent tracking data showed single-digit numbers of vessels transiting in each direction, while US Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping data indicated average traffic of more than 20 vessel transits per day over the previous week.

The maritime security agency said that the contrasting estimates reflect differences in vessel-tracking and reporting methodologies but also point to continued disruption and caution among operators.

Meanwhile, shipping activity through the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb was comparatively stable.

The latest data from Windward show that eight vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sep. 3, down 9.4% from the normal daily average of 60. The data analytics platform said that 119 vessels are waiting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the UKMTO said there were no confirmed attacks or disruptions in the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb during the period.

Commercial traffic remained below normal levels, consistent with the pattern established after the July 20 Houthi declaration of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and earlier confirmed attacks on vessels in the region.

Elsewhere, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority updated its list of non-compliant vessels, adding a further 11 ships to its blacklist on Thursday. The agency barred the vessels from transiting through the Hormuz for "non-compliance."

PGSA, the authority set up by Iran to manage the strait, now prohibits 56 vessels from transiting the strategic waterway.

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