No ships passed through Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, Kpler data shows

Ship tracking data from Kpler showed a sharp slowdown in maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the week, following attacks on oil tankers and stalled talks between the United States and Iran over the Middle East conflict.

Kpler data indicated that only five cargo vessels passed through the strait on Saturday, with no recorded ship crossings on Sunday, compared to 31 vessels at the start of the previous week. Among the ships entering the strait on Saturday were a large empty crude oil tanker with its automatic identification system switched off, a large Indian-flagged gas carrier that used the Iranian route, and a small tanker carrying Iranian fuel oil.

Near-total halt in shipping

The data showed that maritime shipping nearly came to a standstill after the United Arab Emirates announced that three vessels operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) were attacked while transiting the strait last week. Meanwhile, the United States announced that the maritime blockade on Iran could continue indefinitely.

Although some ships may have passed undetected with their transponders switched off, current figures remain far below the more than 130 vessels that crossed the strait daily before the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in February.

Iranian and international responses

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a local media interview on Saturday that Washington must meet Iran’s conditions regarding the strait before maritime traffic can resume. Nearly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict.