Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted to just 5 vessels due to recent attacks on oil tankers, raising security concerns.
In the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most critical transit points for global oil and LNG trade, maritime traffic has nearly come to a halt following attacks on oil tankers. According to Kpler data reported by Reuters, the number of commercial cargo ship transits, which was 31 at the end of the previous week, dropped to 5 last Saturday, with no transits recorded on Sunday.
Maritime transportation in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is severely disrupted due to increasing military tensions and attacks on commercial vessels.
According to a news report published by Gulf Times on November 12, 2026, the announcement by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that three of its vessels were attacked led to a sharp decline in ship traffic in the region.
Only 5 ships were able to pass in one day.
According to records from the maritime data analysis company Kpler, only 5 commercial cargo ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz last Saturday, down from 31 the previous week. On Sunday, no ship transits were recorded in the tracking systems.
Among the vessels entering the strait on Saturday was an empty VLCC-type crude oil tanker with its automatic identification system (AIS) turned off, as well as a large gas carrier flagged from India using the Iranian route.
A small tanker carrying fuel oil originating from Iran exited the strait.
Experts note that the actual number of transits may be higher than recorded due to some ships operating with their AIS devices turned off for security reasons.
Before the war, more than 130 ships passed daily.
Before the war, which began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran in February, more than 130 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily.
The strait, through which approximately one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas transportation occurs, holds strategic importance for international energy supply.
With the recent attacks, security concerns for ship operators have increased, putting significant pressure on maritime operations in the region.
The U.S.-Iran talks have yielded no results.
The diplomatic aspect of the maritime security crisis in the region continues as well.
The U.S. has stated that it could indefinitely continue its maritime blockade against Iran, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi said that for ship traffic to resume in the Strait of Hormuz, the Washington administration must meet Tehran's conditions.
The lack of progress in talks between the two countries raises uncertainty regarding the operations of commercial vessels in the region.
Traffic has also decreased in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
A similar decline is being observed in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located at the southern entrance of the Red Sea.
According to Kpler data, the number of commercial cargo ship transits, which was 55 at the end of the previous week, fell to 49 last weekend.
Following the announcement of a maritime blockade by the Houthis in Yemen on July 20 against Saudi Arabia, security risks in the region have increased, and recent data has shown no detectable Saudi oil shipments.
Developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb indicate that pressure on international oil transportation and global maritime trade continues.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
