KEY POINTS
• Seven vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, down from 11 a day earlier.
• Traffic remained well below the 10 day average of 15 vessels.
• Qatar linked vessels have begun appearing in the waterway again, including an LNG tanker.
MAIN STORY
Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to seven ships on Thursday, according to preliminary tracking data, highlighting the continued disruption to shipping through the strategic waterway.
The latest figure from ship tracking company Kpler was less than half the 10 day average of 15 vessels and down from 11 recorded the previous day.
Two Panamax vessels left the strait, with one carrying fertiliser and the other travelling without cargo. Five vessels moved into the waterway, including vessels carrying dry bulk cargo, steel and grain, as well as a medium range tanker transporting dirty petroleum products.
The figures may not capture every vessel movement because ships can switch off their Automatic Identification System transponders to avoid being tracked.
Some QatarEnergy linked vessels have also been detected around the waterway. The Al Ghashamiya and Al Daayen, both travelling without cargo, appeared inside the strait on Sept. 9 and Sept. 6 respectively.
Another QatarEnergy controlled vessel, the Al Marrouna, left the strait on Thursday after transporting a cargo from Ras Laffan to Pakistan.
The voyage was the first known LNG shipment by a Qatar linked tanker since late July, when the Al Areesh transported LNG from Ras Laffan to Pakistan.
QatarEnergy had not responded to a request for comment outside business hours.
Before the war with Iran began on Feb. 28, the Strait of Hormuz typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels each day, including oil tankers, gas carriers, bulk carriers and container ships.
The waterway carries about 20 per cent of the world’s daily crude oil and LNG supply.
THE ISSUES
The decline in vessel movements represents a major change from normal traffic levels through the strait, where large volumes of energy and other commercial cargoes ordinarily pass each day.
The disruption is particularly significant for energy markets because of the waterway’s role in transporting crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
The tracking figures also have limitations because vessels with their identification systems switched off are not included. This means the actual number of crossings could be higher than the preliminary data suggests.
The disruption extends beyond the Gulf. In the Red Sea, Iran aligned Houthi forces reportedly took control of Yemen’s port city of Mocha on Thursday and moved along the coast towards strategic islands.
Traffic through the Bab el Mandeb Strait stood at 26 commodity vessels on Thursday, compared with a 10 day average of about 27.
WHAT’S NEXT
Shipping movements through the Strait of Hormuz will continue to be monitored as the conflict affects commercial traffic and energy shipments.
The return of Qatar linked vessels, including an LNG tanker, will also be watched for signs of changes in shipping activity through the waterway.
BOTTOM LINE
Only seven vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, far below the normal traffic levels recorded before the Iran war. The sharp reduction underscores the disruption facing commercial shipping through the key energy route.
