Only One Cargo Ship Crossed Strait of Hormuz on Monday

Darwin, August 26: Commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has declined sharply. Due to the US blockade, only one cargo vessel crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday (August 24), marking the lowest level of traffic since May 7. The Iraqi news agency Shafaq News reported the development.

According to preliminary data from maritime tracking firm Kpler, six vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (August 23), but the number fell to just one on Monday.

However, overall vessel traffic through the strait increased slightly last week. Kpler data showed that total crossings rose 2.5 percent week-on-week to 121. At the same time, traffic involving cargo-laden vessels fell by 27 percent.

Meanwhile, US Central Command said that, as of August 24, US forces had diverted the routes of 71 commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Three of those vessels were disabled, while US forces boarded and searched two others. However, more than 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid have been allowed to transit the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz normally serves as a major route for transporting large volumes of the world’s oil and gas. A further decline in shipping traffic could therefore cause significant disruptions to energy supplies from the Middle East.

Source: Shafaq News