Fewer vessels travel through Hormuz as US, Iran continue strikes
- By Reuters -
- Jul 16, 2026
Fewer vessels travelled through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the first day after the U.S. reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports with both countries escalating strikes across the Gulf, shipping data showed.
Seven vessels crossed the strait on Wednesday, mostly on the Iranian route, down from 13 the previous day, Kpler data showed.
Hostilities have intensified since Iran said late on Saturday it had closed the Strait of Hormuz. Military operations are keeping ships from travelling through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war.
On Wednesday, four empty vessels entered the Gulf, including three small oil tankers and a dry bulk carrier for grains, the data showed. The three vessels that exited the strait on Wednesday carried liquefied petroleum gas, coal and fuel oil.
On Tuesday, a Suezmax tanker carrying 1 million barrels of Saudi crude exited the strait with its transponder switched off, Kpler data showed.
There were no Very Large Crude Carrier or liquefied natural gas tankers passing through the strait on Wednesday.
Read more: US launches new Iran strikes as Trump threatens wider attacks
The United States (US) launched a new wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump warned he could widen attacks unless the Islamic republic returned to talks.
US Central Command said the strikes began at 1900 GMT and targeted Iranian military capabilities used to ‘threaten’ vessels freely transiting the vital waterway.
The US military also said one of its aircraft fired on and disabled an empty oil tanker that was trying to break the naval blockade of Iran’s ports.
Central Command said the Curacao-flagged M/T Belma was stopped after the aircraft fired Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. “The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” it said on X.