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Hormuz Strait Traffic Rises as More Vessels Turn Off AIS Signals

According to Lloyd’s List and Iranian media, Strait of Hormuz traffic has risen from recent lows but remains below normal, while Iran says transit will return to normal once the unstable situation ends.

Fact Check
All three components of the claim are strongly corroborated by multiple independent sources. First, the rise in Hormuz traffic from recent lows is confirmed by the Odaily/Lloyd's List report and the IRGC's own statement of ~30 permitted transits since Wednesday evening, also independently verified by Times of India. Second, the increase in vessels turning off AIS signals is confirmed both by the Odaily/Lloyd's List report and the Kuehne+Nagel/TradeWinds analysis documenting a ~600% surge in dark vessel activity between April 19 and May 3, with satellite imagery confirming physical vessel presence despite near-zero AIS readouts. Third, Iran's statement that transit will return to normal once the unstable situation ends is directly confirmed by the Odaily/Iranian media report published May 16. The claim accurately and conservatively summarizes the situation as reported by Lloyd's List and Iranian media. The only minor caveat is that Lloyd's List articles are paywalled and could not be fetched directly, but their reporting is consistently cited and summarized by multiple credible secondary sources.
Summary

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has increased this week, but daily vessel movements remain below the pre-conflict norm of about 130 ships, according to Lloyd’s List. The outlet also reported that more vessels are disabling AIS tracking signals during transit and that tanker owners are preparing for prolonged disruption as regional risk remains elevated. Iran state media separately said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that about 30 ships had passed through the strait with Tehran’s permission since Wednesday night. Iranian media also said Iran expects shipping transit through the key waterway to return to normal once the unstable situation ends. Because the strait carries roughly 20% of global oil and gas supply, developments there remain significant for shipping, energy, and financial markets.

Terms & Concepts
  • Strait of Hormuz: A narrow maritime chokepoint connecting the Persian Gulf to global shipping lanes and one of the world’s most important routes for oil and gas transport.
  • AIS (automatic identification system): A ship-tracking system that broadcasts a vessel’s position and movement for maritime safety and monitoring.
  • Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: Iran’s elite military force, often referred to as the IRGC, with a major role in national security and regional operations.