Only Four Vessels Cross Strait Of Hormuz As Gulf Shipping Slows Amid US-Iran Tensions

Shipping data from LSEG showed only four vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, (19 July) down from eight the previous day.   The decline follows an earlier slowdown reported by maritime intelligence platform Kpler, which said confirmed crossings fell to eight vessels on July 16, the lowest daily total in three weeks.      The latest drop in traffic came as the United States carried out its eighth consecutive night of attacks against Iranian targets. Kuwait and Bahrain have also reported increased Iranian aggression, adding to security concerns in the Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz handles around one-fifth of global oil trade, making it a key route for energy supplies. The slowdown has also affected liquefied natural gas shipping, with no LNG carriers passing through the strait since Thursday.

In a post on X, Kpler said traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continued to weaken on July 16, with seven of the eight confirmed crossings using the Iranian route. It said ship operators were reassessing security, crew safety and insurance risks. Activity was evenly split between low-risk and sanctioned vessels, while no shadow fleet crossings were recorded.   According to earlier reporting, commercial shipping has slowed sharply since the collapse of a brief June ceasefire and the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Daily vessel movements have reportedly fallen from a pre-conflict average of 110-160 ships to a fraction of that level. On July 16, only three commodity vessels were reported to have crossed the strategic waterway.

India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) has instructed shipping companies and recruitment agencies to suspend the deployment of Indian seafarers on voyages passing through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice.   According to earlier reports, the United States has reinstated its naval blockade targeting Iranian ports.   U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has reportedly taken enforcement action against vessels that failed to comply with the blockade, including firing Hellfire missiles at an oil tanker bound for Iran’s Kharg Island terminal and boarding multiple vessels in the Gulf of Oman.

The military escalation followed Iranian cruise missile strikes on commercial supertankers. In response, the United States launched consecutive nights of airstrikes against Iranian coastal defence systems, missile launch sites, airports and transport infrastructure in the southern province of Hormozgan.