Shipping Traffic Plummets in Strait of Hormuz Amid Iran War

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed to just three or four vessels on September 16, falling sharply from a 10-day average of approximately 18. Preliminary data from Kpler indicates that the remaining transits consisted of empty dry bulk and petroleum tankers, with no very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers recorded. This decline coincides with an escalation in the war involving the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has seen its aligned Houthi rebels capture ground overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and launch drone and missile attacks on Saudi cities.

In response to Houthi aggression, the Military of Saudi Arabia conducted airstrikes in Yemen on September 16. Regional instability further intensified after Iran-aligned fighters in Iraq disabled Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, the primary alternative route for oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. While traffic in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remained more stable, it saw a slight decrease to 21 vessels on Wednesday.

United States Central Command maintains that the waterway remains open for transit, noting that thousands of ships and nearly one billion barrels of oil have passed through the strait in recent months. The command asserts that despite Iranian attempts to intimidate civilian crews, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not control the waterway.