Hormuz Strait transit numbers fall again after brief surge

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz saw a notable decrease on Friday, with only eight merchant ships passing, a sharp drop from the at least 25 recorded the previous day. This follows a temporary surge in activity after a preliminary US-Iran agreement.

Iran's maritime authority stated that all ships intending to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must submit an application 48 hours in advance. The PGSA, responsible for shipping in the Persian Gulf, has published two new "safe" shipping routes in the strait. These routes are located south of those previously presented by Tehran and no longer pass through the narrow sea lane between the Iranian islands of Qeschm and Larak, which had been dubbed the "Tehran toll station" by "Lloyd's List." However, the new routes still lie north of the pre-war routes, bringing them closer to Iran.

Ship tracking companies observed significant disruptions to the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on Thursday, the day with increased ship movements. AXSMarine reported the largest disruption since the conflict began in the Persian Gulf, with over 200 merchant ships experiencing signal spoofing or "abnormal AIS behavior." Kpler also counted 25 merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the highest number since April 18, following the framework agreement for an end to the Iran war. The actual number could be higher, as some crews are turning off or manipulating their signals to avoid detection.