Hormuz Traffic Grinds to Halt as Middle East Tensions Escalate

The Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil and gas trade, has seen its traffic dwindle to a trickle due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

A total of 17 commodity vessels transited the strait on the weekend, down from 37 a week earlier, according to shipping data. This is a stark contrast to the typical 125 large commercial vessels that passed through the strait daily before the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq were among the major oil exporters that continued to export their products through tankers traveling without transponders activated, while Saudi crude exports rose this month and next due to attacks on its East-West pipeline by the Houthis. The Pinios, a very large crude carrier, was transferring 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude oil off Fujairah to another VLCC, New Constant, which is expected to head to China.