LONDON – Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been drastically reduced since the outbreak of the US-Israel conflict with Iran on February 28, with only a small number of cargo ships and tankers, mostly Iranian, managing to pass through the strategic waterway.
Data from analytics firm Kpler shows that between March 1 and March 23, just 144 commercial vessels crossed the 167-kilometre (104-mile) strait, representing a 95% drop compared with normal traffic. Of these, 91 crossings involved oil and gas tankers, with over half carrying cargo, primarily heading east.
Shipping intelligence publication Lloyd’s List noted that “traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues to be severely disrupted.” Among the most recent transits on Monday were two Indian-flagged tankers transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and a China-bound vessel. The Panama-flagged Bright Gold is expected in China on April 13 with roughly 40,000 tonnes of methanol. A Chinese-owned containership, the Newvoyager, also navigated the strait after reportedly making a payment to Iranian authorities, though the details of the transaction remain unconfirmed.
All recent crossings appear to have used a Tehran-approved northern route around Larak Island along the Iranian coast, suggesting a limited corridor for vessels operating under the current conflict conditions.
