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Shipping Traffic Through Hormuz Remains Muted; Tanker Attacked Near Iran

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Shipping flow through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remained constrained amid ongoing regional security threats, with vessel traffic well below the pre-war average, maritime data showed on Thursday.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations in its 48-hour report as of Aug. 27 reported one confirmed security incident on Wednesday involving an oil tanker, which anchored off the Omani coast following the incident.

The vessel was hit while transiting eastbound in the Strait of Hormuz, the UKMTO said, noting that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps activity in and around the Hormuz persisted.

The maritime security agency said activity underscores Iran's continued efforts to assert a presence along key shipping lanes and maintain pressure on vessels transiting the strategic waterway.

"Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained at reduced levels. Independent tracking

data indicated suppression with single-digit numbers transiting in both directions," the UKMTO said.

The UKMTO also continued to warn of the risk of drifting or uncharted mines, with designated mine-danger areas remaining active.

The US Central Command posted on X on Thursday that it had redirected 75 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two to ensure compliance.

MarineTraffic data show five vessels crossed the Hormuz on Aug. 25, down 28.6% from seven a day earlier. The data analytics firm said that all five vessels used Iran's unilateral transit scheme, with two vessels entering the Middle East Gulf and three exiting.

Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb also slipped, with 36 confirmed crossings on Aug. 25, down 7.7% from 39 the previous day. A total of 15 vessels entered the Red Sea while 21 exited, MarineTraffic said.

The subdued traffic comes despite no confirmed new attack or disruption being reported in the Southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb during the period, according to UKMTO.

Commercial traffic in the strait remains at reduced levels following the July 20 Houthi declaration of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and earlier attacks on vessels in the region, UKMTO said.

The International Maritime Organization's daily Strait of Hormuz incident tracker showed that the total number of confirmed maritime security incidents in the region was 70 as of Aug. 26.

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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