New attacks halt shipping in Hormuz

Thips passing through the Strait of Hormuz have further decreased since the beginning of the week as heightened vigilance was maintained after new attacks between the United States and Iran. This is according to the latest shipping data.

According to data analytics company Kepler, a total of four cargo ships passed through the strait on Monday (July 20), most of which were on Iranian routes. This number was seven the day before.

Of the four ships, two tankers left the strait and two entered.

Of the two ships that left the strait, one was a tanker carrying petrochemicals and the other was completely empty. On the other hand, the two ships that entered were a bitumen tanker and an oil tanker.

No very large crude carriers (VLCCs) or tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) were seen passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday it had received multiple reports of a tanker being damaged by an unidentified projectile (missile or shell) in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a separate statement, Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers said two of its vessels were hit by projectiles fired from an unknown source while passing the coast of Oman on Monday. In addition, a third tanker was hit by a drone attack at Russia's Novorossiysk CPC terminal in the Black Sea.

Source: Al Arabiya English