Over the weekend, the number of commodity vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz fell below 20, as ongoing blockades by Iran and the US continued to limit traffic through this critical energy shipping route. Initial data from shiptracker Kpler showed that only four vessels crossed the strait on Sunday by 0228 GMT, following 13 on Saturday. These figures may be subject to revision since some ships had deactivated their transponders during transit.
On Friday, 16 vessels were recorded transiting the strait, including two empty very large crude carriers (VLCCs) entering the Gulf with their tracking devices switched off—one destined for Iraq and the other for Bahrain. On Thursday, a VLCC carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates exited the strait.
Data also revealed that eight very large gas carriers passed through the strait over the past three days. Of these, six entered empty, while the remaining vessels transported liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) loaded in Iran and exited the Gulf.
Overall, traffic volumes remained subdued during the week ending August 21, as some vessels abandoned transit plans or altered their routes to pass through the northern section of the strait following recent attacks. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that 89 vessels exited the strait while 103 entered during this seven-day period, based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data.
Notably, the UKMTO highlighted that traffic remains significantly below normal levels, with AIS-detected transits approximately 90% lower than pre-conflict baselines and continuing to decline since a peak between June 24 and June 26. Tanker traffic accounted for 45% of total movements through the strait, with 56% of these tankers carrying crude oil, oil products, or chemicals, while LPG carriers made up an additional 24%.
Since July 6, the UKMTO has documented 23 incidents involving projectile strikes, resulting in damage to bridges, engine rooms, and structural components of vessels in and around the strait.
Meanwhile, in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, 24 commodity vessels sailed on Sunday, down from 32 on Saturday, which itself was an increase from 22 on Friday, Kpler data. Two VLCCs entered the Red Sea on Saturday, one carrying Iraqi Basrah crude and the other empty.
