LONDON, September 7, 2026 (WAFA) – Shipping data released on Monday showed that the daily average of cargo ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz has dropped to 10 vessels over the past ten days, the lowest level since last May, following US and Iranian attacks targeting tankers.

Data from Kpler indicated that the ten-day moving average was 10 ships on Sunday, compared to more than 15 on Friday and about 13 on Saturday.

Only two ships transited the strait on Saturday, while six passed through on Sunday, most of them via the Iranian route.

Maresx, a maritime information company, said in a note that the attacks on Saturday represent a “significant escalation in the maritime conflict.”

It added, “Commercial tankers are now being deliberately used as instruments of reciprocal economic pressure, significantly blurring the previously established distinction between military confrontation and commercial shipping.”

She added, "Accordingly, the risk level is assessed as very high for Iranian or Iran-related cargoes, and significantly high for US-related vessels or those escorted by US forces, throughout the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman."

Data from the London Stock Exchange Group also indicated that a tanker carrying refined petroleum products loaded at a Saudi port attempted to leave the strait but was forced to turn back.

Kpler data showed that no very large crude carrier (VLCC) had left the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday.

K.T