Hormuz transits hit a monthly low as tensions escalate
During the period from July 10 to 12, transits through the Strait of Hormuz were notably subdued, recording a total of 73 vessel crossings across the three days. This equates to fewer than 25 crossings a day on average and underscores the continued impact of escalating security risks on vessel movements through the waterway, according to a report. “Total transits on July 12 fell to just 11 after Iran declared the strait closed during the day, with the Persian Gulf Strait Authority stating that passage is not possible due to recent ‘illegal movements of US military forces’ in the region,” the report said. This represented the lowest daily level since June 14 and the first instance since June 12 with no inbound crossings documented. Six of the transits were evaluated as compliant vessels.
The Western-led Joint Maritime Information Center indicated in an advisory note on July 12 that the regional threat level persisted at a severe status. Despite Iran’s declaration, it acknowledged that the southern route remained accessible and had been enhanced to support two-way traffic flows. Transit counts amounted to 32 on July 10 and 30 on July 11. Energy carriers — oil, chemical, LPG and LNG tankers — represented approximately 48 percent of overall transits during the three-day timeframe. Two-thirds of these energy transits involved compliant vessels; however, only 10 compliant energy carriers entered the Gulf. “The majority of these inbound movements occurred without visible AIS signals and included the Greek-owned Suezmax vessel IMOLA, Sinokor-operated VLCCs ARGENTINA B and ROTTERDAM ENERGY, as well as a handful of oil product tankers,” the report said.
Inbound tanker capacity has started to decline. An average of 6.5 million barrels per day of new oil and LPG tanker capacity entered the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz during July 1-July 12, with VLCCs and Suezmaxes representing nearly 80 percent of the total. During the period of July 10-12, average inbound capacity decreased to 6 million barrels per day, a notable decline from the 8.5 million barrels per day recorded in the first week of July. During the three-day period, all compliant outbound energy carriers transiting the strait operated without visible AIS signals. This included the ADNOC-operated LNG tanker AL HAMRA, VLCCs BELGIUM B, SERIFOS, and NISSOS HERACLEA, along with LR1/Panamax tankers CAPETAN ANDREAS and NAUTILUS. Vessels linked to Iran and subject to US sanctions maintained a significantly high proportion of total traffic, constituting nearly 60 percent of all crossings during the specified period, as indicated in the report.
During the three-day period, a significant number of sanctioned tankers, bulk carriers, container vessels, and landing craft navigated the strait. This included crude tankers such as RANI, DAN, DUNE, and SCALER, the product tanker DING XIANG, the container ship ARTABAZ, the bulk carrier ARTMAN, along with several Iran-flagged coastal vessels active in the area. Numerous movements transpired via the Iranian Traffic Separation Scheme. “The security environment deteriorated significantly during the period as the US and Iran engaged in a series of tit-for-tat escalations. US Central Command said late on July 12 that it had completed a fourth wave of strikes against Iran in the last week, hitting dozens of targets at multiple locations to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking shipping flows through the strait,” S&P said.
