Strait of Hormuz Sees Over 50% Surge in Vessel Traffic
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Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has increased by more than 50 percent compared to the previous week. This rise comes amid ongoing negotiations following an interim agreement between the United States and Iran.
According to a report by the Anadolu Agency, the interim agreement reached between the two countries on June 14 took effect on June 18, though negotiations remain fraught with uncertainty.
Before the war broke out in late February, an average of 130 commercial vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz daily. However, following joint strikes by the United States and Israel, and Iran's retaliatory response, traffic through this vital waterway nearly ground to a halt. After the U.S.-Iran agreement, the situation began to improve somewhat.
Despite this recent increase, vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains approximately 70 percent lower than pre-war levels.
Given that U.S.-Iran negotiations are still in a delicate state and uncertainty looms over the future situation, stakeholders in the maritime transport sector remain cautious.
According to data from analysis firm Kpler, 223 commercial vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz between June 15 and 21, averaging 32 vessels per day.
During this period, the lowest number was recorded on June 17 with 19 vessels, while the highest was on June 22 with 54 vessels.
In the following week, from June 22 to 28, 343 commercial vessels transited the strait, bringing the daily average to 49. During this period, the lowest count was 24 vessels on June 28, and the highest was 76 vessels on June 24.
June 24 marked the highest single-day traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began on February 28.
Compared to the previous week, vessel traffic through the strait increased by approximately 54 percent during this period. The majority of these vessels were tankers carrying crude oil and petroleum products from Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Kuwait.
Data indicates that on that Monday alone, at least 60 million barrels of crude oil were transported through the Strait of Hormuz.
Additionally, a significant number of vessels continue to use designated shipping lanes within Iran's territorial waters. Most of these belonged to the so-called "shadow fleet" and vessels operating under sanctions.
