Ship traffic near standstill around Hormuz as only 6 vessels move in last 24 hours

Commercial shipping traffic near the Strait of Hormuz appeared close to a standstill on Friday morning in the last 24 hours amid the US blockade, with only six vessels seen moving in either direction, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Anadolu.

As of 0900GMT, the east-to-west traffic in the strait in the last 24 hours included Serrano, Niki, Marine Flux and ASL Glory.

The data showed Serrano in transit with Bandar Abbas (Iran) as its destination. Niki was also listed in transit.

Marine Flux was listed in transit, carrying dirty petroleum products and heading to Pipavav (India), while ASL Glory was shown as anchored with Shinas (Oman) as its destination.

In the opposite direction, Jin Zeng 5 and Kiyonami Maru seemed to have passed the critical chokepoint.

Jin Zeng 5 was listed as anchored with Port Rashid (UAE) as its destination, while Kiyonami Maru was shown in transit with its destination listed as the UAE.

Meanwhile, several other ships nearing the Strait of Hormuz appeared to show interruptions in AIS tracking near the chokepoint, but it was not immediately clear whether the gaps reflected deliberate signal shutdowns or technical issues.

Separately, a US-sanctioned very large crude carrier Yuri appeared to attempt a transit through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, before stopping near Iran's Larak island. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, however, reported that the tanker had already crossed the strait and anchored east of Larak Island.

Also, a container ship that had departed from Bandar Abbas was seen sailing south into the Gulf of Oman after entering the strait four days earlier.

US Central Command said on the US social media platform X that 33 vessels have been redirected since the start of the US naval blockade.

At the same time, Iran has tightened its control over the waterway, with reports of commercial ships being fired upon and at least two vessels seized. The parallel restrictions imposed by both sides have sharply reduced traffic through the strait, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran to allow time for Tehran to prepare a "unified proposal," following a request from Pakistani officials.

The diplomatic push by Islamabad is aimed at paving the way for a second round of US-Iran talks expected to take place soon in the Pakistani capital.