Commercial vessel traffic remains low at Strait of Hormuz

Commercial shipping traffic remained low around the Strait of Hormuz in the 24-hour period ending at 1200GMT Wednesday, driven by uncertainties over a potential US-Iran ceasefire.

Eight vessels passed through the strait from the Arabian Gulf to the Oman Gulf, while seven traversed from the east to the west.

According to AIS data, several vessels -- including the Iran-flagged cargo ship Mehrsam 13709 departing from the UAE; the India-flagged cargo vessel Safina Al Yakub 1408 near Emirati ports; the Mali-flagged asphalt-bitumen tanker Pacific Explorer departing from the UAE; the Cameroon-flagged landing craft Polaris sailing from the UAE to Oman; the Comoros-flagged landing craft Harapan Perdana IX traveling from Iran to the UAE; the Bahamas-flagged oil and chemical tanker Musik departing from the UAE; and the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Francesca sailing from Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka -- passed through the strait from west to east.

Türkiye-flagged crude oil tanker Ottoman Equity, from Singapore to the UAE, reached the region but turned back toward the Gulf of Oman.

Movements in the opposite direction included the Sri Lanka-flagged cargo ship Albasher 1, departing from the UAE; the Bolivia-flagged cargo vessel RT 10, from Iran to Oman; the Barbados-flagged oil products tanker Rangver, from the UAE to Oman; the Comoros-flagged landing craft Al Batha, from Iran to the UAE; the Panama-flagged container ship Euphoria, from the UAE to Saudi Arabia; the Panama-flagged tanker LPG Sevan, from Bangladesh to the UAE; the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker Atlantis II, from Iran to Saudi Arabia; and the Iran-flagged landing craft LCT Hengami Qeshm, departing from Iran.

TankerTrackers stated that Euphoria, Epaminodes and MSC Francesca were stopped and seized by Iran.

Iranian forces said the vessels were attempting to exit the strait “covertly” and were intercepted based on intelligence monitoring.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran to allow time for Tehran to prepare a "unified proposal," following a request from Pakistani officials.

The intense diplomatic efforts by Islamabad are aimed at smoothing the way for a second round of US-Iran talks, expected soon in the Pakistani capital.