Bloomberg: Hormuz shipping nearly stops as US-Iran tensions escalate

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill on July 9 after the United States carried out strikes on Iran for a second consecutive day, raising fresh concerns over the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between the two countries, Bloomberg reports.

According to ship-tracking data, most observable vessel movements through the world's most critical energy chokepoint were confined to an Iran-approved route along the northern side of the waterway, while the US-backed Omani shipping corridor remained largely inactive.

Among larger vessels, only one US-sanctioned supertanker departing the Persian Gulf and an Iranian-flagged container ship were observed transiting the strait. Bloomberg noted, however, that some vessels may have crossed with their transponders switched off, making them difficult to track.

Ship-tracking data also showed clusters of vessels forming in the strait, a possible indication of electronic interference affecting navigation systems.

The sharp decline in traffic follows a series of Iranian attacks on commercial vessels that prompted the latest US military strikes. US President Donald Trump also declared that the ceasefire with Iran was no longer in effect.

Only 14 commodity carriers transited the Strait of Hormuz in either direction on July 8, the lowest number recorded since the interim peace agreement reached in mid-June.

The slowdown marks a significant departure from recent shipping activity. Data from Kpler show that in the three weeks following the interim US-Iran agreement to reopen the strait, commodity vessel traffic averaged 34 transits per day, peaking at 59 on June 24. During the height of the conflict, daily transits typically remained below 20.

Traffic involving liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers also remained at a standstill, although two empty LNG tankers recently entered the Gulf of Oman and were heading toward the eastern entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, signs of renewed electronic interference emerged in the Gulf of Oman. Vessels southeast of Limah appeared to be traveling at unusually high speeds of more than 30 knots early Thursday (July 9), according to ship-tracking data. The anomaly could indicate that regional defence systems designed to disrupt hostile drone operations are interfering with ships' transponder signals, although such electronic disruptions may also affect the accuracy of vessel-tracking data.

By Vafa Guliyeva