Strait of Hormuz traffic stays far below normal

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains far below its pre-war level six months into the Middle East conflict, while thousands of sailors are still stranded in the Gulf.

Before Iran blocked the strait in response to joint US-Israeli strikes in February, about one fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports passed through the waterway. Commodity carrier traffic fell to an average of 10 transits per day after Iran closed the strait on March 1, compared with a daily average of 95 in February, according to an AFP analysis of data from maritime tracker Kpler.

A June agreement signed by the United States and Iran led to a temporary rebound to 36 transits per day. Traffic then dropped back to an average of 15 transits per day between the resumption of hostilities on July 8 and August 22.

Vessels previously crossed through a route in the centre of the waterway adopted by the International Maritime Organization. There are now two main routes: a northern route near the Iranian coast approved by Tehran, and a southern route between the Omani coast and areas where mines may be present.

During the relatively calm period from June 17 to July 7, an average of nine ships per day used the Iranian route and eight used the Omani route. Other vessels used unidentified routes or the traditional IMO corridor.

Since the ceasefire collapsed on July 8, two-thirds of transits have become “dark”, or unknown, compared with less than 1% before the war, according to Kpler. These cases involve vessels whose exact route cannot be confirmed because of disabled transponders, jammed signals or missing satellite imagery.

The IMO told AFP that about 6,000 sailors and 500 ships have remained stuck in the Gulf since the start of the conflict. The UN maritime agency said discussions were continuing on a secure maritime route, but their outcome depended on de-escalation in the region.

The IMO had begun an initiative in June to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stuck in the Gulf, but suspended it after an attack on a vessel. Over the past six months, at least 20 sailors and dockworkers have been killed in incidents or attacks in the region, according to the IMO.