Hormuz Strait Traffic Begins to Recover, Tens Pass a Day

JAKARTA - Commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has increased to its highest level since early June, with 25 ships crossing the strategic waterway after the implementation of the US-Iranian memorandum of understanding, which includes reopening the strait and lifting the US naval blockade against Iran.

Iran and the US reached a 14-point agreement on June 14 through a Pakistani-mediated negotiation process to end the war and resolve disputes through dialogue. The document known as the Islamabad Memorandum came into force on June 18 after being digitally signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump.

The agreement includes provisions for ending wars, including in Lebanon, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and lifting the US maritime blockade against Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a market concern after commercial traffic on the route slowed sharply following the start of the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.

Ship traffic surges

As reported by ANTARA, based on data collected by Anadolu from the analytical companies Kpler and MarineTraffic, a total of 25 ships carrying LNG, crude oil, oil products, fertilizers, dry bulk cargo, and containers crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Nine of the ships were identified as carrying full loads.

Four giant tankers alone carry at least eight million barrels of crude oil through the strait.

Three giant tankers are carrying 6.2 million barrels of Saudi oil, with more than four million barrels heading to Japan and South Korea. The destination of the 2.1 million barrels on board the Saudi-flagged tanker Jaham is not yet known.

The giant tanker Tenzan, carrying 1.8 million barrels of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates, is also sailing to Japan.

The French-flagged LNG vessel Mraikh was carrying 169 thousand cubic meters of LNG from the Ras Laffan facility, Qatar, to Pakistan.

The Hong Kong-flagged tanker Tong Lin Wan was carrying 592,000 barrels of clean oil products from the United Arab Emirates and heading for Singapore.

The two fully loaded dry bulk carriers crossing the strait were carrying fertilizer to India and China.

DataMarineTraffic shows 12 commercial vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on June 14, then 10 vessels on June 15, 14 vessels on June 16, and seven vessels on June 17.

Since the war began on February 28, many commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz have been listed under sanctions or identified as part of the so-called shadow fleet.

A large number of recent sailings have also been made through Iranian territorial waters, a route commonly referred to as the Iran route.