According to Sina Finance, data from the shipping intelligence firm Kpler shows that only 14 vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, a drop of approximately 60% compared to the same day last week.

Analysts from maritime analytics firm Windward and Kpler stated that shipping along the southern route—escorted by the US military—has essentially come to a halt.

US Central Command maintains that the strait remains open and vessels are passing through normally.

July 12, 2026: A view of vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz from the Musandam Peninsula, Oman.

Repeated Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the area have sparked a new round of military confrontation between the US and Iran, causing a sharp decline in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz over the past week.

Kpler data indicates that a total of 14 vessels transited the strait on Sunday—with only four being crude oil tankers—down from 37 vessels on the same day last week, representing a drop of about 60%.

Prior to the outbreak of the US-Israel joint war against Iran on February 28 of this year, the strait saw over 100 vessel transits daily.

The security situation in the strait has deteriorated rapidly over the past week, and shipping volumes have continued to fall. Iran has repeatedly attacked commercial vessels on the southern route—which runs close to the Omani coast and is escorted by the US military—while demanding that all ships switch to the northern route passing through its territorial waters.

In retaliation, the US military has launched multiple strikes against Iran, while Iran has struck back at targets belonging to US allies in the Gulf region.

Kpler data shows that following the repeated attacks, an increasing number of vessels are opting for the northern route controlled by Iran. Analysts from Windward stated on social media that shipping along the US-protected southern route has "effectively ground to a halt."

Kpler added that there was virtually no vessel traffic along the southern route off the coast of Oman over the weekend.

However, US Central Command maintains that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and vessels can continue to transit normally. Some vessels are turning off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders to navigate the southern route, making it difficult to accurately track the actual number of ships using that path.

U.S. President Trump announced on Monday that the United States would reimpose a maritime blockade on Iran. He also demanded that vessels passing through the area pay a fee equivalent to 20% of their cargo's value to compensate the U.S. military for providing naval escorts.

According to CCTV News, following the outbreak of conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, war risk insurance rates have emerged as one of the market indicators most sensitive to the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Prior to the conflict, premiums for hull war risk insurance typically amounted to only about 0.25% of a vessel's value. As military tensions escalated and security risks in the Strait of Hormuz surged, these rates skyrocketed, peaking at approximately 10% of the vessel's value. The situation eased temporarily after the U.S. and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding in June; according to insurance brokers, rates dropped to around 2% during that period. However, rates have risen again following the U.S. strike on Iran on July 8—justified by the alleged targeting of commercial vessels—and Iran's subsequent retaliation. Data from various international insurance brokerages indicate that hull war risk insurance rates have now climbed to approximately 5% of the vessel's value.

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