British shipping media Lloyd's List reported on social media on the 19th, citing tracking data, that from May 11th to 17th, at least 54 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, while only 25 had done so the previous week.
The report states that although the United States continues to enforce a blockade on ships entering and leaving Iranian ports, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose significantly last week.
The report specifically mentioned that an LNG carrier under the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company of the UAE entered the Gulf waters with its vessel Automatic Identification System turned off.
Additionally, according to statistics from Windward, a UK-based maritime analytics company, there were 19 ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz on May 18; among them, nine entered the Persian Gulf and ten exited. Vessels entering included cargo ships flying the flags of countries such as India and Sri Lanka; those exiting included one oil tanker and nine cargo ships, five of which were flying the Iranian flag.
NATO Considers 'Assisting Vessels' Through the Strait of Hormuz
Bloomberg reported on the 19th, citing a senior NATO official, that if the Strait of Hormuz could not reopen by early July, NATO would consider whether to 'assist vessels' through the waterway.
The report said this proposal has already garnered support from several NATO member states but has not reached the consensus required for approval. According to the senior NATO official, although some NATO countries are currently still opposed to authorizing NATO to conduct joint operations in the Strait, if the blockade continues, they will ultimately come to support the proposal.
NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, was asked about this possibility at a press conference on the 19th and said he is considering the issue: "First, we need to establish the political direction, and only then will formal planning work begin."
The report points out that it remains unclear how NATO would protect the security of commercial vessels passing through the Strait.
NATO had previously insisted that it would only get involved in affairs concerning the Strait of Hormuz after all parties ceased hostile actions and had formed a broad coalition that included non-NATO countries.