Caution, U-turns and rising rates, but tanker traffic continues largely unscathed for now
- rorykevinproud
- Jun 26
- 2 min read
26 June 2025 Lloyd's List
Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz paused in the wake of US military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but only briefly and volumes remained largely unaffected on Monday in response.
While at least five tankers performed swift U-turns following the US strikes in the early hours of June 22, traffic has remained within normal ranges after an immediate Iranian response to US strikes on its nuclear facilities failed to materialise, leaving crude supply from the Middle East still largely unaffected by the escalating conflict.
A total of 15 tanker transits through the strait were recorded on Sunday by Lloyd's List Intelligence vessel-tracking data, down from the 21 transits recorded on June 21, but well within the normal range.
After a brief spike to a five-month high above $80 per barrel on Monday, the rally in Brent crude futures quickly dissipated as it became clear that, for now, tankers were continuing to trade, albeit with added rates, pauses and the expectation of disruption to come.
Shipowners are trying to minimise time that vessels spend inside the Strait of Hormuz due to the conflict, but most are still moving.
Lloyd’s List understands that several owners and loading ports inside the Middle East Gulf are now instructing vessels to delay crossing the strait until shortly before the scheduled loading time.
Some vessels have chosen to sail through the strait during daylight hours as a result of the threats, but the combination of those changes in transit patterns and ships waiting to transit, is already resulting in increasing ship congestion near Dubai and in the southern Gulf of Oman.
Despite the relative calm in the market and minimal disruption so far, the anticipated military response from Iran “is likely to include attacks or seizures of US-affiliated shipping”, according to security firm Ambrey.
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