Strait of Hormuz ship traffic comes under renewed pressure

Commercial ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which had begun to recover after last month’s US-Iran agreement, has come under renewed pressure after two vessels were hit near Oman and US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over.

Before the US/Israel-Iran war began on Feb. 28, an average of 130 commercial vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz daily. After the conflict started, daily commercial transits fell by more than 90% from pre-war levels.

Traffic began to show signs of recovery after the US and Iran reached a 14-point agreement on June 14, which was signed electronically and entered into force on June 18.

The highest post-war daily traffic through the strait was recorded on June 24, when 76 vessels crossed the waterway.

According to data compiled by Anadolu from analytics firm Kpler, a total of 108 vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz between July 3 and July 5.

A total of 36 commercial vessels passed through the strait on July 6, followed by 41 vessels on July 7.

Tuesday’s commercial traffic included dry bulk, cargo, liquefied petroleum gas, oil and oil products, while the increase in crude flows through the waterway drew attention.

At least 12 million barrels of crude oil crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, including 6.1 million barrels loaded from Saudi Arabia, 3.9 million barrels from the United Arab Emirates and 2 million barrels from Qatar, according to Kpler data.

However, the recovery in ship traffic came under renewed strain after two vessels were hit near Oman and Trump said the ceasefire with Iran had ended. He also ruled out the possibility of a new agreement with Tehran.

“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump said in Ankara, sitting alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the alliance’s annual summit. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time.”

For shipping companies and energy market participants, safe passage remains the main priority, as industry representatives had already been cautious about returning to the strait even during the ceasefire process.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, linking oil and gas producers in the Persian Gulf with global markets.