Strait of Hormuz Traffic Plummets to Two Vessels Amid Reports of Attacks

Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint, dropped to just two ships on Monday, a significant decrease from ten the previous day, according to preliminary shipping data released Tuesday.

This dramatic fall in traffic highlights escalating risks in the waterway, which handles approximately 20% of the world's daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply.

Drastic Decline in Crossings

Preliminary data from analytics firm Kpler showed only two commodity vessels—a Panama-flagged Supramax carrying minerals and a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier—crossed the strait on Monday. These figures, however, do not include any vessels that may have disabled their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders to avoid detection.

Before the regional conflict began on February 28, the strait typically saw about 125 large commercial vessels pass through daily, including tankers, gas carriers, and container ships. In contrast, traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea remained stable at 26 vessels on Monday, unchanged from the day before.

Tankers Attacked in Waterway

Adding to the tensions, shipping intelligence firm Marisks Intelligence reported on Tuesday that two tankers were attacked in separate incidents while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

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• The Isle of Man-flagged crude oil tanker LR Stephanie was struck by an unidentified projectile on Monday, causing minor injuries to two crew members.
• On Sunday, the Liberia-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker Al Maryah was also hit while outbound.

Marisks Intelligence noted that both vessels were able to continue their voyages without assistance. Responsibility for the attacks remains unconfirmed.

Market Implications

The sharp reduction in vessel traffic, coupled with direct attacks on tankers, signals a severe escalation of maritime risk in the Persian Gulf. Such incidents can lead to surging insurance premiums for vessels operating in the region and may force shipping companies to reroute, potentially disrupting global energy supply chains.

The manager of the Al Maryah, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), told Reuters it does not comment on specific operational matters. Universal Tanker Corp., which manages the LR Stephanie according to LSEG data, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.