Hormuz shipping plummets to new lows amid renewed US-Iran escalation and vessel strikes

Commercial shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has plunged to a near-standstill following the collapse of a brief bilateral truce and an immediate surge in maritime attacks. Recent escalations include a Cyprus-flagged container ship set ablaze, a Thai-flagged vessel targeted for unauthorised transit, and an overnight projectile strike on a tanker navigating the US-administered Omani corridor. Furthermore, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards recently claimed that two additional tankers exploded after hitting sea mines in the southern Strait. Intelligence data shows transit volumes hitting historic lows—with only eight vessels recorded passing through on a single day, mostly heavily reliant on northern, Iranian-controlled routes. In response to the intensifying threat environment, the Joint Maritime Information Centre has elevated the area’s risk rating to “severe,” while the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) has strongly urged shipowners to halt all transit entirely, leaving roughly 6,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels trapped in the volatile Gulf, said a report.

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