British maritime authorities said on Monday that commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has stabilized following last month’s U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU), but shipping volumes remain well below pre-war levels, and the recovery is showing little sign of accelerating amid persistent security threats.
The assessment was made after a fleet of 10 Japan-linked commercial vessels, including six very large crude carriers loaded with some 12 million barrels of Middle Eastern crude, finally exited the strategic waterway after being stranded in the Persian Gulf for months during the Iran conflict.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in a July 5 update that vessel movements through the strait remained “steady” over recent days, with commercial traffic continuing to use both the southern Omani shipping corridor and the northern Iran-controlled route….