Only four ships cross Strait of Hormuz in sharp fall in traffic

Only four vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz recently, marking the lowest level of shipping traffic since the memorandum of understanding was signed on June 17. According to data from the MarineTraffic tracking platform, the vessels included one oil tanker and three container ships, all of which departed from ports in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The tracking data later concealed their destinations and ownership details as they returned through the strait. The decline in maritime traffic is attributed to renewed strikes between the United States and Iran, which have raised safety concerns for vessels in the area. Reports indicate that only six commodity tankers passed through the strait on Thursday, while 21 vessels transited on Wednesday, according to Kpler data reported by AFP. This represents a significant drop from previous levels, particularly through the UN-backed Omani passageway. The situation has worsened following recent attacks on vessels, prompting four oil and gas tankers to turn back from the strait. Since the signing of the truce on June 17, over 500 ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, but many remain stuck, highlighting ongoing challenges faced by maritime traffic in the region. The fragile state of the truce continues to jeopardize the safety of shipping routes, as military actions and threats persist. Andrew Wilson, head of research at BRS shipbrokers, noted that they anticipate only "ebbs and flows" of traffic through Hormuz "almost until the end of the year." The only day with lower traffic since the truce was signed occurred on June 28, when just 19 ships crossed the strait, following an attack on a tanker off Oman.