LONDON: Commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply below its recent average over the weekend, with preliminary ship-tracking data showing a significant decline in vessel movements through the strategic waterway.
According to the data, commodity vessel transits fell to single-digit levels per day over the weekend, compared with a 10-day average of 14 vessels.
A total of four vessels exited the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, while 10 vessels entered the waterway, the preliminary tracking data showed.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global shipping route and a major transit point for energy supplies from the Gulf region.
Any sustained disruption or decline in traffic through the strait can raise concerns about potential impacts on global energy markets and supply chains.
However, the ship-tracking figures do not provide a complete picture of vessel movements. The data excludes ships that may have crossed the strait with their Automatic Identification System transponders switched off to avoid detection.
The latest figures therefore indicate reduced visible commercial traffic but may not fully reflect the actual number of vessels passing through the strategically important waterway.