Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is affected by conflicts, with oil shipments down 27% and alternative routes gaining prominence.
Ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and attacks on commercial vessels continue to adversely affect maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical transit points for energy transportation. According to international vessel tracking data, the number of commodity-carrying ships passing through the strait fell to seven on Tuesday, October 6, marking the lowest level since July 23.
Data from Kpler, reported by Reuters on October 8, revealed that fluctuations in maritime transportation in the region continue following the war that began on February 28 between the United States and Israel against Iran. The recent surge in attacks on tankers over the past week coincided with the decline in vessel passages since the start of the war.
According to the assessment by Kpler analysts Emmanuel Belostrino and Yui Torikata dated October 6, crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz decreased by 27% compared to the highest levels during the previous week of the war, dropping to a daily minimum of 10.1 million barrels.
This amount corresponds to the average for September but remains at approximately 74% of the crude oil flow prior to the war.
Analysts reported that a significant portion of the decline stemmed from a decrease in ship-to-ship (STS) cargo transfers among tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
In response to the decrease in shipments through Hormuz, an increase in oil exports via the coasts of the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea has been recorded.
According to Kpler data, crude oil exports from these alternative routes rose to 6.7 million barrels per day, exceeding twice the pre-war level.
This increase in alternative routes helped to balance the loss of oil transported through Hormuz. Thus, the total crude oil exports from the Middle East remained close to pre-war levels.
The number of commodity vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz rose to 10 on Wednesday, October 7. However, this figure remained significantly below the daily passage numbers recorded above 20 on Sunday and Monday.
Kpler data indicated that the number of vessels entering the strait in the last two days exceeded those exiting.
In the broader vessel tracking records maintained by LSEG, eight vessel passages were detected on Tuesday, with four recorded as entering and four as exiting the strait. The previous day, the same data set recorded 14 vessel passages.
Among the vessels that passed were five oil tankers and an LNG tanker named Al Mafyar, which loaded from Qatar's Ras Laffan Port and is expected to head to Pakistan's Port Qasim.
It was noted that both data sets may not fully reflect actual traffic due to untracked passages. Particularly, vessels sailing with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) devices turned off for security reasons are not included in the reported statistics.
The decline in maritime traffic in the region occurred during a period marked by an intensification of security incidents targeting tankers.
According to data shared with Reuters by maritime security sources, at least 12 attacks, attempted attacks, or harassment incidents involving oil, LNG, and LPG tankers were recorded around the Strait of Hormuz between September 28 and October 5.
This figure represents the highest level reported in the week following the onset of the war that began on February 28. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) confirmed that the number of incidents during the same period was nine.
In one of the recent incidents, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that on October 7, a tanker was struck multiple times by munitions north of 51 nautical miles in the Madinat ash Shamal region of Qatar, with casualties or injuries reported.
Before the war that began on February 28, approximately 125 large commercial vessels, including oil and gas tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships, passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day.
The cargoes carried by these vessels accounted for about one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas supply.
Recent data shows that commercial vessel movements in the strait remain significantly lower compared to pre-war levels, while oil exports continue through alternative routes and different loading operations.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
