Maritime analysis company: Strait of Hormuz transit volume increased on the 25th

A maritime analysis company based in the UK, Windward, said in a report released on the 26th that after several days of lull in traffic, the shipping volume through the Strait of Hormuz increased on the 25th, with 19 vessels transiting that day. The report shows that among the 19 vessels, 5 were entering the Gulf waters and 14 were leaving, and all ships had their Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned on. All entering vessels were cargo ships, and they all transited via the northern route controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Vessels leaving included 3 oil tankers, 2 bulk carriers, and 9 other cargo ships. The total number of vessels observed in the Gulf waters rose to 892, up 126 from the previous day.

According to Windward’s analysis of satellite images obtained for the 26th, there are 2 oil tankers loading crude oil at the port of Kharg Island in Iran, with total loading capacity of about 3 million barrels. Meanwhile, in the waters at least south and east of Kharg Island, at least 8 very large oil tankers are anchored, forming a clear waiting queue. The report believes this indicates that Iran’s crude oil exports are still ongoing, but are constrained by factors such as the pace of loading and unloading, infrastructure capacity, and the U.S. military blockade.

The United States has recently continued to blockade ships entering and leaving all Iranian ports. On the 18th, Iran announced the resumption of control over the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Since then, there have been multiple incidents involving attacks on ships and seizures, and at one point the Strait of Hormuz saw a daily shipping volume as low as 3 vessels.

Also, according to the International Maritime Organization, since the end of February when the United States and Israel launched military actions against Iran, the IMO has verified 29 ship-targeting attack incidents near the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in at least 10 sailors killed and multiple ships damaged.

(Xinhua News Agency)