Media: Strait of Hormuz tanker traffic crashes as Iran tightens control

Tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz—a vital chokepoint in the Persian Gulf—has sharply declined, with just 14 vessels navigating the route near the Iranian coast last week, Vortexa data confirmed.

The strait typically handles around a fifth of global oil and gas shipments, with 50–60 oil and LNG tankers passing through daily. The current disruption represents a dramatic drop in maritime activity, Sky News reports.

Iran has effectively imposed a blockade on the strait, while production has also been significantly curtailed in key Gulf oil producers, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar.

The decline in output follows a series of Iranian missile and drone strikes, which have damaged critical energy infrastructure across the region.

By Vafa Guliyeva