Following the return of several vessels over the weekend, the number of ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast has dropped to a minimum.
According to sea-news.az citing the Bloomberg agency, at least eight vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz on July 3 and 4 made abrupt U-turns. Four of these vessels subsequently changed course to exit the strait via the route along the Iranian coast.
The vessels that turned back included oil tankers, bulk carriers, and vehicle carriers. According to data from the analytics firm Kpler, while 19 vessels passed through the strait in both directions on July 4, only one explicitly declared its use of the Omani route. On July 3, 13 vessels had utilized that same route.
The agency notes that no official explanation has been provided regarding the incident. However, Bloomberg reiterated that Tehran has declared that vessels must only navigate through the strait using routes approved by Iran.
