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- A ship came under attack while exiting the Strait of Hormuz resulting in one casualty, according to maritime security agencies.
- President Donald Trump, meanwhile, claimed Tuesday that Hormuz is “open and operating” despite the attack.
- Observed ship traffic through Hormuz stood at a five-day average of 10 crossings, the lowest since May, according to Kpler data.
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A ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz has come under attack, resulting in one casualty among its crew, while President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the waterway is “open and operating.”
A projectile struck the vessel as it exited Hormuz damaging its engine room, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said Tuesday. Oman’s Coast Guard is assisting the rest of the crew. No environmental damage has been reported, according to the UKMTO report.
“The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” Trump said in a Truth Social post hours after the attack. U.S. Central Command referred CNBC to the White House when asked to confirm whether all mines have been cleared in the strait.
At least 17 mariners have been killed in 65 attacks on commercial vessels since the U.S.-Iran war began on Feb. 28, according to the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency.
Observed ship traffic through Hormuz has remained low so far this week with 10 crossings on Monday and two transits on Sunday, according to data provided by the trade intelligence firm Kpler.
The five-day average for ship transits is about 10, the lowest level since May 11, according to a CNBC analysis of Kpler’s data. About 130 vessels crossed Hormuz daily before the war.
Trump said the U.S. is not holding any talks with Iran. The memorandum of understanding that Washington and Tehran signed on June 17 to open Hormuz expired on Monday without a final deal.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Tuesday that Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. meets it commitments under the MOU, according to the state news agency Tasnim.
The U.S. and Iran have been contesting control of Hormuz since the MOU collapsed due to conflicting interpretations of the agreement. The U.S. military assists ships through a southern route along Oman’s coast, while Iran demands that vessels take a northern route through its waters or risk attack.
Tanker traffic is still constrained though monthly exports through Hormuz have increased under U.S. military protection, according to data from maritime intelligence firm Windward.
Crude oil exports through Hormuz rose to about 5 million barrels per day in July compared to about 4 million bpd in June and 1.6 million bpd in May, said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, maritime intelligence analyst at Windward. About 20 million bpd of crude and products, or a fifth of the world’s oil consumption, was exported through the strait before the war.
“Transits have scaled up very quickly against a backdrop of extreme risk,” Bockmann said.
About 20 million bpd of crude and products, or a fifth of the world’s oil consumption, was exported through the strait before the war.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said last week that oil exports through Hormuz had reached a seven-day average of nearly 9 million bpd, higher than most estimates by independent firms.
“Many private businesses undercount the number of ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz due to ships moving covertly through the waterway,” Wright said in a social media post.
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