Shipping through Hormuz drops to five
- Reuters reported April 24 that only five ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz in 24 hours after Iran seized two container ships. - The five included one Iranian oil-products tanker, while normal traffic before the war averaged about 140 daily passages through the waterway. - By April 27, crossings had edged up to seven, still far below prewar levels. (al-monitor.com)
Only five ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz in a 24-hour period reported on April 24, a collapse from roughly 140 daily passages before the war began on February 28. (usnews.com) Reuters said the five vessels included one Iranian oil-products tanker. The drop followed Iran’s seizure of two container ships near the strait on April 22. (usnews.com 1) (usnews.com 2) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf, and the World Trade Organization says the route is central to crude oil, liquefied natural gas and fertilizer shipments. Its tracker showed outbound traffic had fallen to almost zero after Iran announced a closure on March 2. (datalab.wto.org) The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations office said on April 13 that new access restrictions were being enforced around Iranian ports and coastal areas. It said transit to non-Iranian destinations was not formally blocked, but ships could face military presence, directed communications and inspection procedures. (ukmto.org) Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at shipping association BIMCO, said companies need a stable ceasefire and assurances from both sides before they will resume normal sailings. He said the remaining routes close to Iran and Oman cannot safely handle usual traffic volumes. (usnews.com) By Monday, April 27, Reuters reported at least seven ships had crossed in the previous 24 hours, mostly dry-bulk vessels from Iraqi ports plus one from an Iranian port. That was still only a fraction of prewar traffic. (al-monitor.com) Reuters also reported that U.S. Central Command said it had redirected 37 vessels since the blockade on Iran began April 13. Separate satellite analysis cited by Reuters said six Iranian tankers had recently returned to Iranian ports and then sailed back through Hormuz carrying about 10.5 million barrels of oil. (al-monitor.com) The immediate picture is not a total shutdown, but a chokepoint running at single-digit daily crossings instead of triple digits. That leaves Gulf exports moving in narrow, heavily watched windows while U.S.-Iran talks remain stalled. (al-monitor.com)
