SINGAPORE: The tally of vessels tracked in the Strait of Hormuz fell to a one-week low of eight on Tuesday, shipping data showed, as owners avoided the key waterway amid continued hostilities in the Middle East.
The United States and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks as prospects appeared to dim for an end to the Iran war, with Tehran saying the strait would stay closed unless Washington accepted its conditions.
Tuesday’s tally of eight vessels fell below a 10-day average of about 12, for the lowest daily count since August 5, Kpler data showed. Only one, a coal carrier, exited the strait, while the rest were still making their way through.
The seven entering all took the Iranian route.
Separate LSEG data showed 11 transits on Tuesday, down from 14 the prior day.
About 130 to 140 ships typically transited the strait before Iran closed the waterway since the US-Israeli attacks began on February 28.
Also, on Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that US forces in the Gulf of Oman disabled the steering capability of a Panama-flagged cargo vessel sailing toward Iran. CENTCOM said the ship has violated the US blockade against Iran and that a US navy helicopter fired two missiles at the vessel.
The command said the ship has stopped sailing toward Iran and reiterated that US forces are continuing to enforce a blockade on Iran.
In a separate alert, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Tuesday reported an incident involving a container ship in the Gulf of Oman.
UKMTO said the vessel came under attack, with the crew issuing an emergency call for assistance and preparing to abandon ship.
A message broadcast over a public maritime radio channel said there were 17 people on board and placed the incident near the eastern edge of the Gulf of Oman.
On the same day, UKMTO also issued another incident report, saying a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea was hit by an unknown projectile, resulting in casualties.
The tally of 30 vessels crossing the Bab El-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea on Tuesday was above a 10-day average of 25, Kpler data showed.
