Hormuz Traffic Running 80% Below Its 10-Day Average
Preliminary tanker-tracking data from Kpler showed just three commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past day, including one Panamax oil tanker, marking traffic sharply below recent levels. Observable movement through Hormuz remains far lower than the 10-day moving average as owners and exporters limit transits amid renewed regional hostilities.
Why It Matters
The drop in observable traffic at Hormuz highlights continued logistical strain on a key oil chokepoint, which traders are watching alongside diplomatic activity between U.S. and Iranian representatives at the UN General Assembly. Reduced visible transits and the potential for ships to switch off tracking systems complicate market assessments of actual crude flows.
Key Facts
- Vessels through Strait of Hormuz (past day): 3 commodity vessels
- Included vessel type: 1 Panamax oil tanker
- Comparison to previous day: Monday had 4 vessels
- 10-day moving average at Hormuz: roughly 15 vessel transits
- Tracking caveat: Excludes ships with positioning systems switched off
Preliminary data from tanker tracker Kpler, cited by Reuters, showed only three commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past day, with one of those vessels identified as a Panamax oil tanker. That observable traffic level is lower than the four vessels recorded the previous day and substantially below the roughly 15 daily transits captured by the 10-day moving average.
Kpler’s public tracking relies on Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals, so the figures do not include ships that have turned off their positioning systems — a practice some owners employ to reduce detection or the risk of becoming targets amid heightened regional tensions. Shipowners and energy exporters have been exercising greater caution in passing through Hormuz following a resurgence of hostilities this month, which has included strikes on tankers and threats tied to Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the Red Sea.
The shift in traffic patterns has coincided with changes to onshore export routes. Saudi Arabia on Tuesday restored partial service on its East-West onshore pipeline, which allows crude to bypass the Strait of Hormuz by shipping from the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Observable activity at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has remained steadier by comparison, with Kpler reporting 22 commodity vessels moving in either direction and a 10-day average of about 26 daily transits between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Market participants are monitoring these logistical developments alongside diplomacy: U.S. and Iranian officials were engaged in discussions on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this week, a factor traders say could influence the degree and duration of disruptions to regional shipping and crude flows. The persistent single-digit counts of Hormuz transits with AIS on underline continuing security concerns, even as some export routes are partially restored.