London/New Delhi, July 17 (SANA) Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply as vessels faced rising security risks due to the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict and attacks on tankers across the region.
Shipping data showed only three vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the lowest daily figure since May, as military tensions and attacks on commercial shipping disrupted maritime traffic.
Reuters, citing maritime tracking data, reported that many vessels suspended voyages or turned back following Iran’s latest attacks on shipping and the resumption of the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Two fuel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers crossed the strait before stopping in the Gulf of Oman, while another tanker that had exited the waterway returned to the Gulf.
Only 11 vessels crossed the strait on Wednesday, compared with a daily average of about 125 before the recent escalation. No very large crude carriers or LNG carriers transited the waterway for a second consecutive day on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said armed individuals boarded and took control of the chemical tanker Asana while it was sailing east in the Gulf of Aden, about 65 nautical miles south of Yemen’s port of Mukalla.
According to Reuters, ship-tracking data showed the vessel’s next scheduled destination was Bosaso, Somalia. UKMTO said unauthorized persons had boarded the vessel, but no official information was immediately available on the identity of the attackers or the fate of the crew.
Earlier on Friday, UKMTO reported that another commercial tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while sailing about 19 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman. The crew was safe and no environmental damage was reported.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments, has seen growing security concerns since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli-Iran conflict, with attacks, interceptions and detentions involving commercial vessels increasing risks for international shipping and raising insurance costs.
T.S /ABD
