Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz plummeted sharply on Thursday, with the number of cargo ships crossing cut in half compared to the previous day, amid ongoing uncertainty from U.S.-Iran talks.
Data from Kepler revealed that only 7 cargo ships traversed the strait, down from 14 the day before, with 4 entering the waterway and 3 leaving. Notably, no large oil tankers or liquefied natural gas carriers were recorded, although one gas carrier transporting propane and butane crossed the Iranian pathway.
In the Bab al-Mandab Strait, traffic also fell, with 23 cargo ships crossing on Thursday, compared to 34 in each of the prior two days.
According to the data, 16 ships entered Bab al-Mandab and 7 exited, among them were two medium-sized tankers carrying crude oil to Vietnam and India.
No large oil tankers or liquefied natural gas carriers passed through Bab al-Mandab on the same day.
Kepler's data does not include ships that pass through the straits with their transponders turned off.