Strait of Hormuz Traffic Plunges to Four Ships

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to just four vessels on Tuesday, down from seven the previous day and well below the 10-day average of 18.

The sharp slowdown through the key maritime route follows an intensification of attacks in the region.

Two vessels entered the strait on Tuesday and two departed.

No oil supertankers or large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers were recorded among them. The vessels included the Salute, a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas, the Nautilus, carrying diesel, and two smaller fully loaded ships. However, some vessels may be passing through the area with their transponders switched off to avoid detection.

By comparison, traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remained relatively stable at 22 vessels a day.

(Reuters, max)