Hormuz maritime traffic collapses to seven ships

Shafaq News- Hormuz

Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Wednesday, with only seven ships recorded crossing the key waterway, down from 12 the previous day, according to ship-tracking firm Kpler.

Four vessels were logged leaving the waterway and three entering, a figure well below the 10-day average of 14 vessels.

The actual number of ships using the Strait could be higher, as some vessels are sailing with their transponders switched off and therefore do not appear in tracking counts, Kpler added.

Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world's oil passes, has remained largely closed under Iranian restrictions since Feb. 28, following the joint US-Israel war on Iran. The corridor briefly reopened after a US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) took effect on June 18, but closed again amid renewed military escalation, with Tehran maintaining that the waterway remains under Iranian control. US President Donald Trump, however, says the waterway is "open and operating."

Read more: Iran to establish new restricted zone beyond Hormuz