Only two ships transit Hormuz after US seizure rattles market

• Vessels in holding positions nearby
• Reluctance to move high-value cargoes
• Ceasefire expires on Wednesday

Just two commercial vessels fully transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after the US seizure of an Iranian cargo ship, according to tracking data.

The slowdown followed a chaotic weekend in which the waterway’s reopening unravelled when US forces seized an Iranian-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the ship had been given “fair warning to stop,” but that the crew refused to comply and was intercepted. 

The vessel, identified as the M/V Touska by US Central Command, was seized en route to Iran near the port of Jask after US forces fired several rounds into the ship’s engine room. The incident is the first known instance of the US taking control of a commercial vessel since the blockade began on April 13, according to the Associated Press.

About a dozen craft that were “active” in the strait’s approaches as of 1200 GMT on Monday included a mix of chemical and product tankers, general cargo ships and smaller landing craft, linked to flags including Panama, Curaçao and Togo, according to maritime data analytics company Pole Star Global.

Saleem Khan, the maritime intelligence company’s chief data and analytics officer, said only two vessels had fully sailed through the chokepoint end-to-end. 

“The rest were manoeuvring nearby or holding positions, which is consistent with the highly cautious operating behaviour we’re seeing across the industry,” he said. “We must remember though that some of these ships could have turned off their automatic identification system (AIS) signals to evade detection.”

No liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers were recorded as transiting the strait, the firm said, although one vessel linked to Iran was among those that were presently close to the waterway.

The absence of LNG traffic underlines operators’ continued reluctance to move high-value cargoes through the sea lane, said Dany Rastelli, SVP of global communications at Pole Star Global. 

Further reading:

• Call it what it is: the War of Hormuz
• Tanker flows shift away from Hormuz to the Atlantic
• Why Hormuz is no Suez or Panama

“Ship operators are currently having to make decisions in a highly uncertain situation, where access, enforcement, and risk are constantly changing,” he said. “The seizure of the Touska has only added to that sense of instability.

“The small number of transits and the fact that no LNG carriers are passing through show how fragile confidence still is. Most owners and charterers are staying cautious, waiting for clearer signs that conditions are stable and that it’s safe to move through the strait.”

The ceasefire between Washington and Tehran is due to expire on Wednesday. 

Officials from both sides are expected to meet in Islamabad late on Monday, but Iran has signalled it may not attend the talks because of the ongoing US blockade, the BBC reported.

The activity on Monday remains a fraction of normal traffic some eight weeks into the Iran-US war. Many ships that approached the waterway in anticipation of a broader reopening have since turned back, idled or diverted, reflecting a cautious approach across the industry.

The Brent crude benchmark dropped as low as $82 on Monday but had risen steadily to $93.63 as of 13:34 GMT.