SINGAPORE — Commodity shipping through the Strait of Hormuz dropped below the month’s daily average late this week, as volatile sentiment between Washington and Tehran escalated with competing claims over control of the critical waterway.
The strait is “under Iran’s control and management,” the recently appointed head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary unit said Thursday. The statement came as the United States signaled it could sustain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely and intensify economic pressure on Tehran amid stalled ceasefire negotiations.
Transit Numbers Remain Subdued
Only nine commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to data from maritime analytics firm Kpler. While this marked a slight uptick from five vessels the previous day, it remained below the August daily average of 12.
The nine transits included five entries into the Gulf and four exits into the Gulf of Oman, with most vessels using the Iranian shipping route. The figures reflect vessels with active transponders, meaning the actual count could be higher if some ships sailed with tracking systems turned off.
Attack Claims Heighten Shipping Risk
Shipping risk intensified Thursday evening when Abu Dhabi National Oil Company reported that two of its vessels were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported, but the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of carrying out the assault.
The incident underscored the precarious security environment in one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. Roughly a fifth of global oil consumption passes through the strait annually.
Bab el-Mandeb Traffic Holds Steady
Further south, 19 commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday with transponders active, broadly stable compared with 20 the previous day, Kpler data showed. The Red Sea gateway has faced separate security challenges in recent months from regional militant activity.
Analysts caution that some vessels may be navigating key waterways with transponders switched off, a practice that excludes them from publicly available tracking counts and complicates accurate assessments of shipping volumes.
The combination of military posturing, direct attacks on commercial vessels, and reduced transit visibility has kept freight markets on edge. Shipping companies continue to weigh higher insurance premiums and rerouting costs against the risks of passing through the volatile corridor.
