Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been significantly disrupted following strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel, and Iran’s subsequent retaliation.
According to the latest tracking data from the analytics firm Kpler, several oil tankers have performed U-turns to avoid sailing through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital maritime route running along Iran’s southern coastline.
The waterway, which links the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, has experienced an estimated 20 to 25 per cent reduction in traffic since Saturday afternoon, Kpler reports.
From approximately 15:30 UTC (10:30 a.m. ET) onwards, “the majority of vessels in the area either executed U-turns, began idling, or diverted to alternative routes outside the Strait,” Dimitris Ampatzidis, Senior Risk Analyst at Kpler, told CNN.
Emmanuel Bellostrino, Kpler’s Senior Crude Oil Manager, said that at least four Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) appeared to have turned back from the Gulf on Saturday after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran and Iran responded. The vessels — operated by Orbiter, Universal Victor, Mitake and Trikwong Venture — have a combined carrying capacity of approximately eight million barrels of oil.
Meanwhile, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated on Saturday afternoon that multiple vessels operating in the Arabian Gulf had reported that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed. However, UKMTO cautioned that it was unable to independently verify those claims.
The organisation further noted that, under international law, vessels remain entitled to navigate international waters, even where states or military forces establish warning zones to reduce the risk of inadvertent engagement.
The US Department of Transportation has advised vessels, where possible, to avoid the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Iranian state media reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had earlier warned that, “owing to the insecure atmosphere around the Strait resulting from US and Israeli military aggression and Iran’s responses, it is presently unsafe to transit the Strait.”