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Some oil majors and leading trading houses have suspended crude oil and fuel shipments via the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, Reuters reported, citing four trading sources.
“Our ships will stay put for several days,” one senior executive at a major trading desk told Reuters.
The move highlights mounting concerns over the safety of one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.
Mixed signals on maritime traffic
While some tankers have halted, maritime flows have not stopped entirely, according to Bloomberg, citing naval observers.
At least three gas tankers traveling to or from Qatar have paused voyages to avoid the waterway, ship-tracking data showed. Qatar accounts for about 20% of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply and must ship its cargo through the strait to reach buyers in Asia and Europe.
However, automated vessel signals indicated that at least 17 oil tankers were still transiting the waterway in both directions as of 10:30 GMT.
Tankers idle near Gulf of Oman
Several large crude carriers have reportedly come to a halt near the approaches to the strait.
The oil tanker Eagle Veracruz, carrying two million barrels of Iraqi and Emirati crude to China, stopped at the western approach to the strait. It was joined by the Front Beauly, loaded with a similar volume of Saudi crude.
The supertanker Mitake, bound for Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia, also slowed east of Oman after news of the US attack broke, joining a growing cluster of idling vessels in the Gulf of Oman.
Why the Strait of Hormuz matters
The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and lies between Iran and Oman’s Musandam exclave. At just 50 kilometers (30 miles) wide and no deeper than 60 meters (200 feet) in places, it is highly vulnerable to military disruption.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the strait is “one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints.”
Around 20 million barrels per day — roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption — passed through the strait in 2024.
About one-fifth of global LNG trade also transited the route, primarily from Qatar.
More than 80% of oil and gas shipments through the strait are destined for Asian markets.
While Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have limited infrastructure to bypass the strait, their combined alternative capacity is only about 2.6 million barrels per day.
Strategic and military significance
The waterway is dotted with strategically important islands, including Iran’s Hormuz, Qeshm and Larak, as well as the disputed islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, which have been under Iranian control since 1971.
Naval operations in the Gulf and the strait are overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has repeatedly threatened to close the waterway during periods of heightened tension.
A senior IRGC naval commander reiterated the threat in January, warning of closure in the event of an attack — weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on warnings of military action tied to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Global market implications
The growing vessel backlog and suspension of shipments have intensified concerns about supply disruptions and potential spikes in oil and gas prices.
Although traffic continues, traders are closely watching whether Iranian retaliation or further military escalation could disrupt ports or force a broader shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz — a scenario that would reverberate across global energy markets.
English (US) ·