Ship traffic intensifies in Strait of Hormuz as U.S.-Iran tensions escalate
Three VLCCs carrying about 6 million barrels cleared the chokepoint in 24 hours as U.S. strikes on Iran entered a 12th night and maritime attack risks deepened across Gulf routes.
Ship traffic increased in the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours, including three VLCCs carrying roughly 6 million barrels of crude, as fighting between the United States and Iran widened and underscored risks to a strategic corridor for global oil shipments and commercial shipping. Oil prices rose in Asian trading on Thursday after U.S. Central Command said American forces had carried out a 12th straight day of strikes against targets in Iran, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed retaliatory attacks on U.S. assets in Kuwait and Jordan and warned vessels in the strait. The maritime tension intensified after the IRGC said an explosion set a tanker ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz and two other vessels turned back, while the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre separately reported a ship fire 70 nautical miles off the Saudi coast.
- Strait of Hormuz: A strategic waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and one of the world’s most important chokepoints for oil and commercial shipping.
- VLCCs: Very large crude carriers used for long-haul oil transport.
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: Iran’s powerful military force, separate from the regular armed forces, that oversees strategic operations including missile and naval activities.