Oil Tankers Reportedly Switch Off Transponders as Hormuz Shipping Slows After U.S. Strikes on Iran

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Bloomberg, more signs are emerging that some oil tankers are switching off their transponders while transiting the Strait of Hormuz to reduce the risk of Iranian attacks, as shipping through the chokepoint has nearly stalled after the U.S. military struck Iran for a second straight day. Vessel-tracking data showed that on Thursday (July 9) only a handful of ships transmitted passage signals in the Iran-controlled lane, while no vessels were seen transiting the U.S.-backed Oman lane. Bloomberg said that after three attacks this week on large oil and gas carriers, ships likely resumed “dark” sailing practices, with such activity typically taking days to become visible in data. The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), which liaises between the U.S. Navy and shipping, said commercial shipping has not been interrupted with U.S. military assistance, but traffic on July 7 and July 8 fell to low levels. Kpler data showed about 21 commodity-carrying vessels transited the strait in both directions on July 8, the lowest level since a temporary U.S.-Iran peace agreement in mid-June. In the three weeks after that temporary deal, average daily transits were 34 vessels, peaking at 59 on June 24; during periods of U.S.-Iran exchanges of fire, daily transits were mostly below 20 vessels.