Renewed military tension between the US and Iran and attacks on commercial vessels in the Middle East have reduced ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the most critical chokepoint for global energy transport. As security risks increased, the number of tankers passing through the strait fell to its lowest level in recent weeks.
According to data from ship tracking company Kpler, only six vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. This figure stands out as the lowest daily transit count recorded in the last five weeks.
Among the vessels transiting the strait were the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Humanity, carrying about 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, and the tanker Capetan Andreas, loaded with around 500,000 barrels of Kuwaiti petroleum products. Three empty oil tankers entered the strait heading toward the Persian Gulf to pick up new cargo.
According to Kpler data, a significant portion of the tankers transiting the strait turned off their transponder systems, which share location information during navigation. This practice has become more frequent in the region recently due to heightened security risks.
Weekend ship tracking records showed no liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker entering the Strait of Hormuz. An oil tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company was recorded leaving the strait between July 10 and 12 and continuing its voyage toward India's Dahej Port.