Big jump in ship movement across Straight Of Hormuz
New Delhi, June 19: With the US and Iran signing peace deal, movement of ships, mostly carrying fuel, through the Strait of Hormuz has risen to the highest level in two months, providing a sigh of relief around the world.
According to vessel trackers, as many as 25 commercial vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz since last night, the highest number since mid-April.
“We observed 25 verified commercial vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz — the highest single-day count since 18 April and more than five times the average daily level recorded during the first ten days of June,” said vessel tracker AXSMarine a press statement.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes, had remained effectively shut by Iran ever since the US and Israel launched joint air strikes on February 28, triggering a war.
Before the war, about 120 vessels a day passed through the strait, according to shipping journal Lloyd’s List.
Over the last three months, dozens of ships were attacked when they attempted to transit through the Strait.
The closure of the strait during the war drove up global oil prices and choked off shipments of energy and crucial commodities such as fertiliser.
Iran later briefly re-opened the global trade artery to commercial traffic, prompting a short peak in crossings on April 18.
AXSMarine said crossings averaged 7.6 a day from the start of March.
More than 500 commercial vessels and about 11,000 seafarers are still stuck in the Gulf, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
It says 20,000 seafarers in the region have been affected by the war overall.
Shipping groups have warned that plans to resume traffic through the strait were still not clear and it was not thought safe to start exiting the Gulf through. (BVI)
