AXSMarine: 1,061 merchant vessels remain west of Hormuz

March 11 ------ According to AXSMarine, 1,061 merchant vessels remain west of the Strait of Hormuz with only seven vessels transiting the waterway from west to east over the weekend, highlighting the continued standstill in commercial traffic.

The vessels that passed included five dry bulk carriers (one Handymax, three Supramax, and one Panamax) and two tankers, an oil/chemical tanker and a small asphalt or bitumen tanker. Both tankers are suspected to be associated with the so-called ghost fleet. As highlighted, two of the dry bulk carriers also drew attention after temporarily changing their AIS destinations to “China Owner/Crew.”

While media reports have described this as a new phenomenon, similar AIS messaging practices have occurred in the past. For instance, tankers approaching Israeli ports frequently altered their AIS destinations in early 2024, and during the peak of piracy off East Africa, vessels often displayed messages such as “Armed Guard On Board” to deter potential attacks.

Current AIS-derived data shows that of the 1,061 vessels west of Hormuz, 738 are actively transmitting signals, while 323 have either switched off their AIS transponders or are suspected of signal manipulation or spoofing, AXSMarine highlights.

As explained, the fleet in the area includes 295 crude oil tankers, 103 oil and chemical tankers, and 53 chemical tankers. Gas carrier traffic comprises 47 LPG carriers and 20 LNG carriers. Additionally, there are 234 dry bulk carriers, 132 container ships and 116 multipurpose vessels. Furthermore, smaller segments include 17 PCTCs, nine RoRo vessels, 11 RoPax or ferry vessels, 11 passenger ships, nine FSOs, and a single OBO carrier.

With only seven vessels transiting over the weekend, commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains extremely limited compared with normal operating conditions.

Source: safety4sea.com