Strait of Hormuz vessel traffic remains thin amid Middle East tensions

Vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz more than halved over the weekend, dropping to 14 from 36 the previous weekend.

Iran's Parliament Speaker warned the strait would remain closed until Tehran's conditions are met, as US-Iran tensions escalate.

The Strait of Hormuz carries approximately 20 per cent of global crude supply, making disruptions to traffic significant for world energy markets.

Traffic through Bab Al Mandeb also declined, falling to 48 vessel crossings from 57, as Houthi rebels seized strategic coastal positions overlooking the strait.

"Clearly, momentum is building," said the head of US Central Command, noting primary transit lanes were clear of mines and thousands of ships had passed through.

Commodity vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz stood at less than half on Saturday and Sunday compared to the previous weekend amid continued tensions in Iran and the wider Middle East.

A total of 14 vessels transited the strait, down from 36 during the previous weekend, preliminary data from Kpler showed.

Eleven vessels exited the strait, while three entered. Seven exiting vessels took the Iranian route, the data showed. Some vessels transited the strait in the dark or by switching off their transponders to avoid being detected.

A very large gas carrier left the strait carrying liquefied petroleum gas on Saturday. A vessel laden with fertilisers also left the narrow water channel between Iran and Oman the same day.

The latest data comes as tensions between the US and Iran continue, with Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warning that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Tehran's conditions are met.

Iran also said it has received information that the US, with the backing of some regional countries, is preparing to resume actions against Iran and that it would retaliate by attacking American bases.

The latest warning comes even as the US Central Command said it had assisted more than 2,000 commercial ships transiting through the strait, with more than one billion barrels of crude leaving the Gulf in recent months.

“Clearly, momentum is building,” said Adm Brad Cooper, head of the US Central Command, in a post on X. He said primary transit lanes were clear of mines and thousands of ships had passed through.

The Strait of Hormuz is an important transit route for global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas, with the narrow channel carrying about 20 per cent of global crude oil supply before the war started on February 28. However, the number of ships crossing the strait has fallen significantly amid continued attacks on ships by Iranian forces.

Bab Al Mandeb traffic, meanwhile, has also fallen as tensions between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels flare up after the Yemen-based group took control of strategic places along the western coast that overlooks the strait in the Red Sea.

Commodity vessel traffic fell to 48 during the weekend, from 57 at the previous weekend, according to Kpler data. The strait recorded 24 vessels each transiting on Saturday and Sunday.

The port city of Mokha, Perim Island, also known as Mayyun, and Dhubab are some of the places that were seized by Houthi rebels, giving them strategic advantage to monitor vessels sailing through the Bab Al Mandeb strait that connects Asia and Europe.

Brent oil is currently trading at above $100 per barrel, with Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia supporting prices.

The Houthis announced a maritime embargo on Saudi ships last month and have been attacking vessels passing through the strait, forcing the kingdom to divert crude cargo towards the Suez Canal and take a longer route around Africa to export oil to Asian markets.

“Senior Houthi figures have indicated that Red Sea navigation remains safe for all shipping except Saudi-linked vessels, which may limit the direct impact on international maritime traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal for the time being,” BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a report last week.

“However, Iran’s wider calculations in its confrontation with the US – including the use of higher oil prices as leverage – will shape Houthi actions alongside those of Iran-aligned militias elsewhere in the region such as in Iraq, which was the source of a drone attack on Saudi’s East-West crude pipeline on September 10.”