S&P Global Energy on the 25th released a report noting that on the 24th, a total of 78 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz, setting a new daily record for vessel transits since the outbreak of the conflict in Iran. The average daily vessel transit for this month has already recovered to about 57% of the level before the conflict.
The report said that as of the 24th, the total number of vessels that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz this month has reached 551, making it likely to become the month with the highest volume since the outbreak of hostilities.
The report pointed out that vessels recently departing the Strait of Hormuz include not only ships that had been stranded long-term due to the conflict, but also those entering recently, reflecting preliminary signs of a normalization in shipping activity. However, whether the uptick in vessel passage can be sustained remains to be seen, and relevant agreements still need to be further consolidated and implemented.
Analysts believe that the recovery in shipping volume is closely related to the recent announcement by Oman and the International Maritime Organization to open the southern shipping channel of the Strait of Hormuz. On the 24th, 33 vessels used this new channel.
However, according to a report by the UK’s Lloyd’s List on the 25th, the Iranian side stated that vessel traffic must use the northern route of the Strait of Hormuz as approved by Iran. This has made passage through the strait more complex.
UK-based maritime analytics company Windward said on the 25th that four tankers turned back while transiting the Strait of Hormuz through the southern channel that day. At the same time, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard broadcast over radio channels, requiring ships to transit “only along designated routes with the permission of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” and warned that unauthorized passage or deviation from designated routes “will have consequences.”