SINGAPORE: Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained subdued on Tuesday, with just three commodity vessels recorded crossing the strategic waterway, preliminary tracking data showed.
The figure was down from four vessels a day earlier and significantly below the roughly 15-vessel daily average recorded over the previous 10 days.
The latest figures, compiled from vessel-tracking data, remain subject to revision because some ships can temporarily disable their tracking transponders while at sea.
At around 0200 GMT, all three vessels recorded in the latest count were travelling out of the strait. One of them was a Panamax tanker.
A ballast liquefied natural gas carrier, the Al Mafyar, was also detected back inside the waterway on Tuesday after previously being tracked outside the strait on September 19.
The slowdown comes as the Strait of Hormuz faces heightened attention amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. Before the conflict, the narrow passage handled around one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies, making shipping activity through the route a closely watched indicator for energy markets.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran could face severe consequences if an agreement to end the conflict was not reached, while also indicating that a diplomatic settlement could be within reach as international discussions continued at the United Nations.
Traffic through another major maritime chokepoint, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, was also below its recent norm.
A total of 22 commodity vessels passed through the waterway on Tuesday, compared with a 10-day average of about 26 ships. Fourteen were travelling towards the Red Sea, while eight were heading in the direction of the Gulf of Aden.
The vessels included five Panamax tankers, six Supramax ships, four Aframax tankers, one Suezmax tanker and a very large crude carrier.
The continued decline in traffic at both strategic passages highlights the disruption facing commercial shipping as vessels and operators navigate heightened regional risks.
