Analysis Reveals 60 Percent of Ships in Hormuz Strait Linked to Iran Amid Regional Conflict

Kathmandu. Since the outbreak of war in West Asia, an analysis of maritime data by AFP has revealed that 60 percent of vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz were either arriving from or departing to Iran.

Iran disrupted global fuel supplies on February 28 in retaliation for US-Israel attacks, causing volatility in global energy markets. According to the global maritime analytics firm Kpler, 221 vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz to enter or leave Iran between March 1 and the morning of April 3.

Because some vessels crossed multiple times, the total number of transits exceeded 240. Six out of every ten vessels moving through Hormuz were linked to Iran, with the share of cargo-carrying ships reaching as high as 64 percent.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) accounted for 20 percent, China 15 percent, India 14 percent, Saudi Arabia 8 percent, Oman 8 percent, Brazil 6 percent, and Iraq 5 percent, while other major destinations and countries with significant roles in the global economy trailed behind these figures.

During this period, 37 out of 118 cargo-carrying vessels transported a total of 8.45 million tons of crude oil. Of the 37 oil tankers, 30 had departed from Iran and were leaving the Gulf. Most chose not to disclose their destinations.

Among the few vessels that reported their destinations and were carrying Iranian oil, all but one were headed to China. The other seven oil tankers that crossed the strait with cargo had departed from Saudi Arabia, including the Hong Kong-flagged vessel New Vision, which departed on March 1 and was expected to arrive at the French port of Le Havre on Saturday.