Tanker traffic at the Strait of Hormuz rose over the past 24 hours for the first time since late last week, when two attacks on commercial vessels spooked many operators and forced others to wait for easing tensions before transiting the chokepoint.
A total of 24 commodity vessels—including tankers, LNG and LPG carriers, and bulk carriers—transited the Strait inbound and outbound on Monday, according to Kpler's ship-tracking data reviewed by Bloomberg. Despite this uptick, total traffic remains 90% lower, signaling sustained disruption to global energy supply routes.
The recovery follows a period of heightened risk in the region, where vessels had been idling or rerouting. The attacks had raised fears of a broader conflict impacting the critical waterway through which about 20% of the world's oil passes daily.
Still, operators remain cautious. The 90% drop from normal levels indicates that many shipping companies have not yet fully resumed operations, suggesting that confidence in safe passage has not fully returned. Insurance premiums and security protocols likely remain elevated.
Geopolitical tensions in the Gulf continue to underpin the fragile recovery. While the immediate crisis appears to have eased, the incident underscores the vulnerability of this vital energy chokepoint to sudden disruptions, with potential ripple effects on global oil prices and supply chains.