Hormuz traffic dips to lowest since May after US, Iranian strikes on ships

SINGAPORE – An average of 10 commodity ships transited the Strait of Hormuz per day over the past 10 days, the lowest since May, according to shipping data on Sept 7, after US and Iranian strikes on tankers.The 10-day moving average was 10 on Sept 6, down from more than 15 on Sept 4 and nearly 13 on Sept 5, data from analytics firm Kpler found.Only two vessels passed through the strait on Sept 5 while six went through on Sept 6, mostly using the Iranian route.US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Sept 5, US Central Command said, including one off Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil export hub, following attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on US warships in the region.In retaliation, the IRGC navy said on Sept 5 it targeted three oil tankers travelling unauthorised routes in the strait as well as three additional US vessels in other areas.The three Iranian tankers were Downy, Stark I and Kylo, also known as Noxen, maritime intelligence firm Marisks said in a note.The Saturday attacks represented a “major escalation in the maritime conflict”, Marisks said.“Commercial tankers are now being deliberately used as instruments of reciprocal economic pressure, substantially weakening the previous distinction between military confrontation and commercial shipping,” it added.“Risk is therefore assessed as extreme for Iranian/Iran-linked tonnage and materially elevated for US-linked or US-escorted shipping throughout the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.”There have been 27 projectile strike incidents since July 6, resulting in damage to vessels operating in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in its weekly report.On Sept 6, one very large crude carrier and three bulk carriers laden with metals, grains or oilseeds entered the strait, Kpler data showed.A tanker carrying refined products loaded from a Saudi port attempted to exit but was turned back, data from LSEG showed.No very large crude carrier exited the strait since Sept 2, according to Kpler data. REUTERS