Latest Update on the Strait of Hormuz: Shipping Slumps to Its Lowest Level
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Traffic of commodity-carrying vessels through the Strait of Hormuz has slumped to its lowest level since May after a series of attacks by the United States and Iran on oil tankers. The situation has raised the risk to the shipping lane, one of the world’s most important energy routes.
Data from shipping analytics firm Kpler shows an average of only 10 commodity-carrying vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz each day over the past 10 days. That figure is down from more than 15 vessels on Friday and nearly 13 on Saturday.
On Saturday, only two vessels were recorded passing through the strait, while six crossed on Sunday. Most ships opted to use the route on the Iranian side, indicating growing caution among shipping operators amid the escalating conflict.
US forces attacked three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, according to US Central Command. One of the strikes took place off the coast of Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had earlier attacked a US warship in the area.
The IRGC navy subsequently claimed it had targeted three oil tankers using unofficial routes in the Strait of Hormuz as well as three US vessels elsewhere. The three Iranian tankers said to be affected were Downy, Stark I and Kylo, also known as Noxen, according to maritime intelligence records from Marisks.
Marisks described the attacks as “a major escalation in the maritime conflict”. The risk to shipping is considered to be increasingly high.
“Commercial tankers are now deliberately being used as instruments of mutual economic pressure, which substantially weakens the previous boundaries between military confrontation and commercial shipping,” it said, as quoted by Reuters on Monday (7/9/2026).
“The risk is judged to be extreme for vessels owned by or linked to Iran, and has risen significantly for vessels linked to or escorted by the US along the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman,” Marisks added.
Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has recorded 27 projectile attack incidents since 6 July causing damage to vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Kpler data also shows that no very large crude carriers (VLCCs) have exited the strait since Wednesday.