A lack of trust in the Omani corridor is causing shipping operations to move significantly toward Iranian-approved routes, and fresh attacks close to Oman have increased the total to 56 incidents and 17 seafarer deaths, according to Kpler, a data and analytics platform that provides real-time intelligence on global trade, commodity flows, and maritime shipping.
The majority of the traffic consisted of commercial vessels transporting iron ore, methanol, crude oil, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), according to the company's X post.
There was a "growing loss of confidence in that corridor," as seen by the paucity of trade via Omani lines, while ships continued to prefer Iranian-approved routes. "The Strait remains passable, but the operating environment is becoming increasingly complex and unstable," Kpler said.
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Meanwhile, there is additional legal and geopolitical uncertainty due to claims that the US is contemplating a 20% cargo transit toll, Kpler added.
Earlier, before a US blockade went into effect on Wednesday, the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz increased on Tuesday, with the majority of them connected to Iranian trade, according to maritime data.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reimposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports and threatened to strike power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran begins discussions.
According to ship-tracking data on Kpler, nine of the eleven ships that crossed the strait on Tuesday travelled via the Iranian route.
Three empty oil tankers—two Very Large Crude Carriers and one Aframax-sized vessel—entered the strait.
According to the statistics, two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas, a medium-range tanker carrying refined products, and a VLCC carrying two million barrels of crude were among the vessels that left the strait carrying Iranian exports.
Since the US resumed its maritime blockade of Iran on Tuesday, CENTCOM claims to have "redirected" two commercial vessels.
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"Since restarting the naval blockade against Iranian ports 17 hours ago, U.S. forces have redirected 2 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade. The U.S. military remains vigilant and prepared to ensure full compliance," read a post on US CENTCOM's X handle.
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