Latest international shipping data shows that in the 10 days leading up to June 6th, an average of only 10 commercial vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz per day, the lowest number since May, highlighting the impact of recent maritime attacks between the US and Iran on commercial shipping.
According to data released by the Belgian-based company Kepler, the daily traffic volume through the Strait of Hormuz averaged nearly 13 vessels as of June 5th, compared to over 15 as of June 4th. Five ships passed through the strait on June 6th, compared to only two on June 5th. No very large crude carriers (VLCCs) have left the Strait of Hormuz since June 2nd.
On June 5th, the US Central Command announced the "destruction" of three Iranian oil tankers located near Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub; Jask, a port city in southern Iran; and in the Gulf of Oman. The US military stated this was in response to attacks by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on two US warships "patrolling in regional waters." In retaliation, the IRGC Navy announced that day that it had struck three US vessels and three oil tankers sailing in unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
A Greek maritime risk management company stated that the latest round of maritime attacks between the US and Iran represents a "major escalation of the maritime conflict," with commercial oil tankers now being used as "tools of reciprocal economic pressure." The agency assessed that Iranian or Iranian-affiliated cargo ships face "extremely high" risks navigating the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, while the risks for US-affiliated or US-escorted cargo ships in these waters have also "significantly escalated."
The UK's Office for Maritime Trade Operations' weekly report shows that since July 6, there have been 27 attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Furthermore, according to Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Iran will soon establish a restricted area outside the Strait of Hormuz, extending from the US Navy's "blockade line" into parts of the Persian Gulf. Any vessels entering this area will be added to Iran's sanctions list.
