Shipping Traffic Drops in Strait of Hormuz After Strike

Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz experienced a notable decline after a vessel was struck on Saturday morning. According to maritime tracking firm Kpler, only 29 commercial vessels crossed the strait on Saturday, with 12 transiting on Sunday, indicating a sharp decrease from the previous week when traffic peaked at 70 crossings on Wednesday.

This surge had followed a memorandum of understanding signed between Tehran and Washington on June 15 aimed at boosting traffic. Despite warnings from Iran against U.S. vessels in the area, ships continued to navigate the strait.

The U.S. Southern Corridor and Omani waters saw reduced traffic over the weekend, with additional ships potentially turning off their transponders.

The U.S. Navy escorted four tankers entering the Gulf on Sunday.

The situation follows the evacuation of 11,000 seafarers from the Gulf, which had been suspended on Thursday. Iran held its first meeting with Oman on Monday to discuss managing the strait, while the U.S. warned it would not accept transit fees for international waterways.