From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 17, 2026
Strait of Hormuz transits drop as US and Iran escalate attacks across Gulf
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Just three commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, the fewest daily transits since May, shipping data shows, with most ships halting or making U-turns after recent Iranian attacks on vessels and the resumption of a US blockade on Iran-related shipping.
The re-escalation in fighting between the US and Iran has once again largely ceased traffic through Hormuz, the world’s most important shipping route for oil and gas, driving up global energy prices.
Miraan, a sanctioned product tanker carrying fuel oil, and Norita, a small vessel carrying liquefied petroleum gas, exited the strait yesterday via the Iranian route but stopped at the Gulf of Oman, where the US blockade is, Kpler data shows.
Arolia, a bunkering tanker laden with Iraqi fuel oil that is used to refuel vessels at sea, made a U-turn to head back into the Gulf hours after it exited earlier today, LSEG data shows.
On Wednesday, 11 vessels crossed the strait, a fraction of the average of 125 vessels that transited the waterway daily before the war.
There were no Very Large Crude Carrier or liquefied natural gas tankers passing through the strait for a second day yesterday.
However, two VLCCs re-appeared on AIS tracking yesterday outside the strait, carrying 2 million barrels of crude each.
The VLCC Colombia Prosperity, laden with Saudi crude, is heading to Okinawa in Japan, while the Costa Rica Prosperity, carrying Iraqi Basra Medium crude, is destined for Turkey, the data shows.
Kpler’s database shows that the tankers crossed the strait on July 13, while S&P Global Energy assessed that they exited on July 14.
Iraq briefly suspended oil loadings yesterday after a drone hit an oil tanker at its Basra terminal, four Iraqi oil and security sources tell Reuters, before later resuming them.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said yesterday that no oil or gas would be exported through the Strait of Hormuz as long as US attacks continued, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.
In a further threat to energy supply, Tehran has signaled it could prod its Houthi allies in Yemen to close another key strait, the Bab al-Mandeb at the mouth of the Red Sea, sources tell Reuters, if Washington attacks Iran’s infrastructure.
The Times of Israel Community.