Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz dwindled to only a few mostly Iran-linked vessels crossing on May 27, underscoring the stop-start nature of traffic through the world’s most vital energy chokepoint.
Just two ships were observed transiting into the Persian Gulf, while a Chinese fuel tanker apparently paused midway on its voyage out, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The slowdown comes a day after two international oil supertankers exited the waterway in a small flurry of energy outflows.
The fluctuation comes as markets await the outcome of talks between the U.S. and Iran to end a conflict that has brought the Strait of Hormuz to a near-complete closure. The U.S. denied an Iranian state television report on a draft interim deal that said maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz could return to normal within a month.
