Hormuz shipping 'below normal, but not stalled': UKMTO

Marine traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains "well below normal but not stalled", according to a vessel tracker.

Reporting on Hormuz shipping and attacks as of Nov. 10, the UK Maritime Trade Operations' (MTO) latest weekly report counted 170 outbound and 155 inbound transits.

That is about 65% below pre-conflict levels, with most transponder-on vessels using the Iranian route to the north.

The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), a multinational military-civilian organisation, said independent tracking showed single-digit to low double-digit daily transits.

Meanwhile, US naval shipping-coordination data recorded about 30 US-facilitated transits a day from Nov. 5 to 7.

UKMTO cautions that it cannot independently verify all US-reported movements.

Reported attacks

• At least 11 ships were attacked in and around the strait in the week ending Nov. 6, and three of them sank.

• UKMTO has recorded 88 projectile strikes since hostilities resumed in early July, but cautions that most attacks go unreported.

• On Nov. 7, UKMTO reported a tanker struck by an unidentified projectile about 15 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman.

• All crew were safe. Another tanker near Khasab was on fire and its crew was evacuated.

• The IRGC claims three tankers using unauthorised routes suffered explosions and fires from mines. These claims are unverified.

• On Monday, UKMTO logged warning No. 199-26, another oil tanker was "attacked" off Khasab, Oman, resulting in the crew being evacuated.

• JMIC counted five new incidents in its Nov. 8 update, for 177 since March 1, and kept the threat level at “severe.”

The US blockade

US aircraft fired on the stern of a bulk carrier about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan. CENTCOM says its blockade operations since July have redirected 147 vessels and disabled five that refused to comply.

Counts differ because UKMTO, JMIC and Iranian sources use different methods. Many vessels turn off transponders, so traffic is likely "undercounted".