Hormuz VLCC crossings rise to six as tanker security risks persist

Six very large crude carriers crossed the Strait of Hormuz on 25 October, the highest daily count since 17 October, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea data cited by Hellenic Shipping News in a report sourced to Platts. The increase from five VLCCs a day earlier came despite continuing security incidents affecting merchant shipping in the region.

Overall Hormuz traffic remained unchanged at 17 vessels on both 24 and 25 October. At Bab al-Mandab, total crossings rose from 27 to 42 over the same period, although VLCC traffic held at one vessel each day. Both of those crude carriers were northbound: Karina on 24 October and Della on 25 October, according to the data provider.

Of the six VLCCs passing through Hormuz on 25 October, Monaco Prosperity was outbound, while Bangladesh Prosperity, Ennie, Thailand Prosperity, West Loyalty and Bulgaria Prosperity entered the Persian Gulf. Across 23–25 October, Commodities at Sea identified 16 VLCC crossings, assessing 10 as inbound and six as outbound. Inbound movements included five vessels operated by South Korea’s Sinokor, alongside the Saudi-linked Majra and Qasba.

US Central Command said on X that more than 3,000 commercial vessels had passed through Hormuz with its forces’ support over the preceding six months. It also marked the export of at least 1.5 billion barrels of crude through the strait since the summer. Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the principal transit routes remained clear of Iranian sea mines and that US forces remained focused on maintaining commercial traffic.

That assessment contrasted with the security picture reported by Hellenic Shipping News, which described intensified Iranian attacks on merchant vessels. The International Maritime Organization recorded 29 attacks between 1 and 22 October, above every monthly total since March. On 26 October, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that a tanker leaving Hormuz had been disabled by an unidentified projectile on 23 October. No crew casualties or oil spills had been reported.

LPG traffic also continued, with five Hormuz crossings recorded over 23–25 October: four inbound and one outbound. Commodities at Sea identified the outbound vessel as Marshall Islands-flagged Sheng Hai Long, which it said loaded LPG at Qatar’s Ras Laffan without AIS visibility and crossed the strait without transmitting before reappearing in the Arabian Sea on 24 October. Separately, crossings of the US naval blockade line increased to 57 on 25 October from 51 the previous day.