London, July 13 (SANA) Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to its lowest level in five weeks on Sunday, with only six vessels transiting the strategic waterway, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler, as renewed military exchanges between the United States and Iran heightened concerns over maritime security.
Reuters reported that the vessels included the very large crude carrier Humanity, carrying about 2 million barrels of Iranian crude, and the tanker Capitan Andreas, transporting approximately 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum products from Kuwait.
Three empty tankers also entered the Gulf to load crude oil, while most vessels switched off their tracking transponders as they passed through the strait, according to the data.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route linking Gulf oil producers to international markets, remains highly sensitive to regional security developments.
The latest decline in vessel traffic comes amid renewed military escalation between Washington and Tehran, fueling concerns over the safety of commercial shipping through one of the world’s busiest oil transit corridors.
R.H/Abd
