Shipping data released Tuesday shows that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continued to decline, with only three commercial vessels making the crossing as security fears mount amid continued hostilities between the United States and Iran.
According to data from Kpler, Tuesday’s total of three commodity vessel crossings was down from four the day before. Among those ships, the general cargo vessel Kaiser departed the strait with a full load of cargo, while the dry bulk carrier H7 Smb8 passed through without cargo — meaning it is headed into the Gulf to pick up a shipment. A third vessel, the Hsin Ocean, entered the strait carrying refined palm olein, Kpler reported.
No very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers were observed transiting the strait on Tuesday.
Late Tuesday, the U.S. military confirmed it had conducted its most recent round of strikes against Iran, representing the 11th straight night of American military action.
The conflict’s reach also extended to the Red Sea, where two oil tankers transporting Saudi crude oil toward Asia turned around before reaching the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The reversal came after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia threatened to blockade Saudi oil shipments moving through that waterway.
The Houthi group also warned shipping companies in an email that loading or unloading cargo at Saudi Arabian ports could make those vessels targets.
Analysts say the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict is now threatening to disrupt shipping through two of the globe’s most critical energy chokepoints.
