Strait of Hormuz Traffic Dips to Two-Month Low Amid Escalating Tanker Attacks

The number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest point in more than two months after attacks on tankers in the key waterway reached a weekly peak since the start of the Iran war, according to shipping data.

Analytics firm Kpler reported that only seven commodity ships passed through the strait on Tuesday, marking the lowest figure since July 23. Analysts Emmanuel Belostrino and Yui Torikata noted that crude crossing the strait dropped 27 percent from a wartime high the previous week, falling to at least 10.1 million barrels a day on October 6.

While this volume matches the September average, it remains at 74 percent of prewar levels. The decline was largely driven by a reduction in ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman. However, increased exports from the Gulf of Oman coast and the Red Sea—reaching 6.7 million barrels per day—helped offset the lost supply from Hormuz, maintaining overall Middle East crude exports at prewar levels.

Data showed that vessel traffic edged up to 10 on Wednesday, remaining well below the daily tallies of over 20 recorded on Sunday and Monday. These figures exclude vessels crossing with their Automatic Identification System transponders disabled. Meanwhile, LSEG tracking data recorded eight crossings on Tuesday, with incidents highlighted by maritime security sources as Gulf producers push for higher exports.

In the latest security incident, projectiles struck a tanker 94 kilometers north of Qatar's Madinat ash Shamal, resulting in reported casualties, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency stated on Wednesday. Prior to the conflict, approximately 125 large commercial vessels traversed the strait daily, carrying cargoes representing a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.