Vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz fell for the fourth straight day to 34 on July 9, the lowest daily level since June 28, as security concerns and navigation disruptions continued to weigh on Gulf shipping, according to S&P Global MINT and S&P Global Commodities at Sea.
The fall comes after traffic had declined on June 28 following the strike on the Panama-flagged crude tanker KIKU by an Iranian drone. While July 9 activity remained below normal, inbound traffic recovered from 15 vessels on July 8, indicating that some operators continued to use the key energy corridor despite heightened risks.
Inbound movements made up 68% of total crossings, led by five LNG carriers, one VLCC, one Panamax oil tanker, two bulk carriers and a mix of container, cargo and support vessels.
Iran-linked and sanctioned traffic stayed elevated, accounting for roughly one-third of total crossings. These included the sanctioned Iranian crude carrier BERG 1, product tanker WELL SAIL, container vessels ALOR 2 and BENITA, and several smaller vessels moving between Iran and neighbouring Gulf states.
BERG 1 was among only 11 outbound departures recorded during the day. Separately, at least nine tankers carrying nearly 13 million barrels of Iranian crude were seen moving through the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman over the past day. The movement comes as US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington could reinstate a naval blockade on Iranian ports and vessels.
LNG traffic showed greater resilience than overall shipping. Five LNG carriers, QatarEnergy’s AL RAYYAN, AL DAFNA, AL GATTARA and AL SAMRIYA, along with Chinese-owned GASLOG SHANGHAI, crossed inbound through the strait. This was the highest daily count of LNG carrier crossings since end-February.
However, all five LNG carriers crossed without visible AIS signals, as did the compliant VLCC NISSOS KEA, owned by Greek shipper Kyklades Maritime. Subsequent positioning data suggested the vessels likely transited closer to the Omani coast, potentially under naval escort or heightened security arrangements.
Around 14 LNG tankers were anchored off Ras Laffan as of 07:38 UTC on July 10, according to S&P Global MINT.
LPG traffic remained subdued. Only one LPG tanker, the OFAC-sanctioned and Iran-linked VLGC GAS STRENGTH, was observed crossing, with no outbound LPG movement recorded. The low activity mirrored July 8 levels and suggested continued caution among LPG operators.
On aggregate, one-third of total vessel transits on July 9 were dark. The only compliant vessel visibly crossing the strait via the Oman route was the Indian-flagged container ship DP WORLD GODAVARI, headed to Jebel Ali.