Vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted, with only two ships passing on Monday, raising alarms over global maritime trade.
The commercial vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical energy transit points, has fallen significantly below pre-war levels. According to Kpler data, only two commodity ships passed through the strait on Monday. Recent tanker attacks in the region are causing shipowners to reassess their operational decisions.
The security crisis in the Strait of Hormuz continues to directly impact global maritime trade.
According to preliminary data from the ship tracking and commodity analysis company Kpler, the number of commodity ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz was recorded as only 2 on Monday.
This figure is below the 10 vessels that transited the previous day.
Before the Iran conflict, approximately 125 large commercial vessels, including tankers, LNG carriers, bulk carriers, and other commercial ships, passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily.
Tankers have become targets.
One of the developments that has raised security concerns around Hormuz is the recent attacks on commercial vessels.
In the region, the crude oil tanker LR Stephanie and the LPG tanker Al Maryah were attacked.
In the incident involving LR Stephanie, it was reported that two crew members were lightly injured.
Following the attacks, some ship operators have begun to conduct higher risk assessments for transits through Hormuz.
AIS data may not fully reflect real traffic.
Experts indicate that it is challenging to measure the actual vessel movement in Hormuz solely through AIS data.
It is stated that some tankers in the region are navigating with their AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals turned off for security reasons, which means that the number of vessels seen in tracking systems may not reflect the total actual transits.
This situation raises the possibility that commercial activity in the strait could be higher than the reported figures.
Energy markets and tanker freight rates are affected.
The Strait of Hormuz holds a critical position in global oil and LNG transportation.
The sharp decline in commercial vessel transits is exerting pressure on war risk insurance, tanker routes, and freight rates.
In particular, the tightening of vessel supply in the VLCC segment has led to daily earnings in Middle Eastern oil transportation reaching historic levels.
The maritime sector is on standby.
Shipowners and energy companies are closely monitoring the security situation in Hormuz.
While some companies continue their transits by accepting higher insurance costs, others are evaluating alternative routes or different logistics methods.
The decline in traffic in Hormuz stands out not only as a regional security issue but also as a significant development highlighting the fragility of the global energy and maritime transportation chain.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
