CARTE. Crossing the strait of Hormuz: 300 ships in a month, five times less

Tension is at its peak in the Strait of Hormuz. Before the start of the Middle East war, a fifth of the world’s oil (20%) usually passed through this narrow sea passage linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, flows have dramatically decreased.

328 passages were recorded in just over a month, between March 1 and April 9, according to maritime data company Kpler. This is five times less than usual. During this period, Iran also paralyzed traffic in retaliation to Israeli-American attacks starting from February 28.

An improvement was expected following the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which came into effect on April 8 for a duration of two weeks. However, two days later, only 16 ships had sailed in these waters. The crossings should even “remain at a maximum of 10 to 15 passages per day if the ceasefire holds,” estimated Ana Subasic, an analyst at Kpler, at the end of last week.

Four ships forced through American blockade

Since then, the situation has hardened even more. After peace talks failed last weekend between American and Iranian negotiators, the US military announced on Sunday that it would impose its own blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. From Monday 4 p.m. (French time), it is forbidden to cross for all ships “of all nationalities, entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas.”