Oil & Energy
Hormuz, Red Sea Traffic Rises, but Maritime Risks Remain Elevated
Commercial vessel traffic through Middle Eastern waterways ticked up on Tuesday, but persistent security threats, sanctions risks, and geopolitical tensions continue to weigh on shipping operators, maritime data showed on Wednesday.The latest data from MarineTraffic for Tuesday showed 12 confirmed vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz, up by 50% over the day, compared with Monday when there were only eight verified crossings."Traffic was evenly split by direction, with 6 vessels entering the Middle East Gulf and 6 exiting," according to MarineTraffic.Strait of Hormuz routing was concentrated around the Iranian Unilateral Scheme, which accounted for 10 of the total 12 crossings on Tuesday.The rest of the two crossings were "Route Undetermined," while no crossings used the International Maritime Organization's Hormuz Traffic Separator Scheme.The marine data firm said that the increase in traffic volumes has not translated into a reduction in risk, noting that vessel behaviour and routing patterns remain important indicators of maritime security conditions."Traffic recovery should not be mistaken for lower risk," Kpler said.Meanwhile, Bab el-Mandeb crossings rose to 41 on Tuesday, up from 39 on Monday. Ship flow tilted towards vessels entering the Red Sea with 24 entries compared with 17 exits."For Bab el-Mandeb, the key indicators are dark transits, new U-turns, delayed entries and whether previously hesitant vessels continue to reattempt crossings," according to MarineTraffic.The IMO's daily Strait of Hormuz incident tracker showed the total number of confirmed maritime security incidents in the region to be 62 as of Monday.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.On Tuesday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations received a report of suspicious activity involving a tanker transiting the southern Red Sea."Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO," the maritime security firm said.The incident adds to ongoing concerns over the safety of shipping routes around the Red Sea, where vessels have faced attacks, security incidents and disruptions linked to regional tensions.Meanwhile, the US Central Command said its forces continued enforcing a blockade against Iran, with operations resulting in the redirection of 20 commercial vessels, the disabling of two vessels and the boarding of two others as of Tuesday.Centcom's compliance enforcement has added uncertainty for shipowners and commodity traders navigating Middle East routes, as restrictions, sanctions enforcement and security risks shape vessel decisions.
