Monitoring shipping in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Nautical Movement
For the third day in a row, the Strait of Hormuz is nearly deserted, as the US and Iran continue to dispute shipping passage in the Gulf.
Three ships seem to have entered the Gulf in the last few hours, with two tankers indicated as empty by the ship tracking website MarineTraffic.
A tanker filled with cargo left the Gulf via the Strait early Monday local time, as reported by MarineTraffic. The Nova Crest, operated by a Turkish company, departed from an Iraqi port earlier this month. It has been previously penalized by the UK and European Union for transporting Russian oil.
On Saturday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran announced the closure of the Strait again, leading to 13 vessels making a U-turn, as reported by maritime intelligence firm Windward.
A container ship was hit by gunfire on Saturday, and two other ships reported being shot at; consequently, no tankers were noted passing through the Strait on Sunday, although analysts warn that not all vessels reveal their location.
Ambrey, a maritime advisory firm, stated on Monday that “ships are recommended to cancel a scheduled transit through the Strait of Hormuz by heading back to the point of departure as soon as warned over VHF (radio).”
Multiple commercial vessels have indicated that the IRGC navy has instructed them not to continue with their passage.
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