Around 3,000 ships stranded around Hormuz Strait, passage down 94%: Data

Energy and cargo transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway in the Persian Gulf responsible for a fifth of global oil demand, has fallen by some 94% since the start of the US-Israeli aggression on Iran in late February, data shows, amid growing concern that the blockage could lead to irreparable damage to the global economy.

New data released by major global firms, including by Lloyd's List, showed passage via Hormuz had declined from 138 vessels per day in late February to less than 10 in the past days, according to a report by Iran's Tasnim news agency.

The report said the steep drop in passage had led to a complete paralysis of shipping in the waterway.

It also cited information from a new Al Jazeera report estimating that some 2,000–3,000 ships have been stranded around the Strait waiting for permission to cross the waterway.

That comes as the International Maritime Organization has also said that some 3,200 ships have been stranded in the Persian Gulf, leaving nearly 20,000 sailors idle onboard.

The Tasnim report said that a total of 181 ships or tankers had managed to sail through Hormuz since early March, with 125 of them either owned by Iran or belonging to its allies.

That comes as Iran has exempted neighboring Iraq, a close ally, from restrictions in Hormuz, while countries like China, India, Pakistan and Turkey have managed to transit their ships through the strait after holding direct negotiations with Iranian authorities, the report said.

It said some 24 commercial ships have been attacked in or around the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, leaving 8 dead and 10 more wounded.

Iran imposed restrictions on passage through the strait days after the start of the US-Israeli aggression on February 28, saying ships related to the aggressors could not use the waterway.

The restrictions, coupled with attacks on energy production and storage facilities in the Persian Gulf, have led to a record rise in international energy and commodity prices.

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