Shipping traffic at the Strait of Hormuz dwindled further at the start of this week after attacks intensified in the Middle East, Baird Maritime reported on September 15 citing Reuters and Kpler data.
Commodity vessel transits at Hormuz totalled four on Monday, down from 10 during the previous day in the preliminary Kpler dataset.
Two dry bulk carriers exited the waterway, including one laden and one ballast vessel, while two oil tankers entered the strait, both in ballast mode.
The figures exclude some vessels that might have crossed the strait with their automatic identification system transponders turned off to avoid detection.
Iranian news agency Fars claimed Monday, citing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that an oil tanker exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines in the Strait of Hormuz, without saying when the incident occurred.
Also on Monday, Persian Gulf Arab states postponed planned talks with Iran to discuss possible agreements on the Strait of Hormuz, a setback for diplomatic efforts to ease the conflict's impact on global oil supplies.
Yemen's Houthis said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia on Monday, targeting aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways, and ammunition depots.
In the Bab el-Mandeb strait, 21 commodity vessels transited on Monday, Kpler data showed, down from 28 during the previous day.
Before the Iran war started on February 28, the Strait of Hormuz typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels per day, including tankers, gas carriers, bulkers, and container vessels.
That pre-war flow accounted for roughly 20 percent of the world's daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supply in open reporting.
BC Insight and TFI accounts put roughly 45 to 50 percent of globally traded sulfur normally transiting Hormuz, with commercial sulfur cargoes near zero since the February conflict.
For Alberta forming plants and the Vancouver stem, a Monday count of four commodity vessels confirms Middle East sulfur is still not returning to the seaborne market at scale.
Pacific loadings and inventory draws that priced FOB Vancouver through 2025 and early 2026 remain the practical North American supply answer while Hormuz diplomacy stalls.
Desk read: September 15 is a lower AIS print than the September 14 weekend count. Watch whether any insured bulk sulfur restart appears before reading Pacific basis as easing.