Ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz drops about 60% in a week, Kpler data shows

According to CNBC, ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply over the past week after Iranian attacks on commercial vessels reignited fighting between Washington and Tehran. Fourteen ships transited the strait on Sunday, including four crude oil tankers, down about 60% from 37 vessels a week earlier, based on data from trade intelligence firm Kpler; more than 100 ships a day used the route before the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran on Feb. 28. Iran has demanded ships use a northern route through its territorial waters, while the U.S. has carried out repeated strikes on Iran in response to the vessel attacks and Tehran has fired on U.S. allies in the Gulf. Kpler said ships are increasingly using the Iranian route and that traffic through the Omani route nearly vanished over the weekend, while U.S. Central Command said the strait remains open and traffic is flowing; some ships may be transiting with transponders turned off. President Donald Trump said Monday he would reimpose the U.S. naval blockade against Iran and demanded ships pay the U.S. 20% of their cargo value as reimbursement for protection.