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Hormuz tanker crossings slip to lowest in more than two months, data shows

Tanker crossings through the Strait of Hormuz fell to their lowest level in more than two months, with only one vessel transiting on July 23, according to ship-tracking data. The drop comes amid continued US strikes on Iran and oil prices rising back to $100 a barrel. Meanwhile, Bab el-Mandeb crossings increased, and some vessels are being rerouted via the Suez Canal.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 13–24, 2026 Published Aug 14

Lead

The number of tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz fell to just one on July 23, the lowest level since May 7, according to ship-tracking data from analytics firm Kpler, as ongoing shipping risks in the Middle East and sustained US military strikes on Iran disrupted maritime traffic. Oil prices surged back to $100 a barrel on the same day, reflecting heightened supply concerns.

Coverage comparison

The reported decline in Hormuz crossings is part of a broader pattern of reduced vessel traffic in the strategic waterway. On July 12, only six vessels transited the strait, the lowest number in five weeks, according to Kpler data. The drop was attributed to renewed strikes between the US and Iran and attacks on ships in the region, which heightened safety concerns.

The July 23 data showed that only one tanker crossed the strait, compared with three the day earlier. That vessel, the very large crude carrier New Giant, was loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude and is due to arrive at China's Rizhao port by mid-August. No ships entered the strait on July 23.

In contrast, crossings at the Bab el-Mandeb strait increased. Commodity tanker crossings totaled 32 on July 23, up from 26 the day before, according to Kpler data. Of those, 14 tankers were heading into the Red Sea and 18 were exiting into the Gulf of Aden. Nine of the exiting tankers carried crude oil, including two loaded Chinese supertankers bound for China.

Key claims

On July 23, only one tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz, the lowest level since May 7, according to Kpler data.
The US military completed a 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran on July 23.
No ships entered the Strait of Hormuz on July 23.
On July 12, six vessels transited the strait, the lowest number in five weeks, according to Kpler data.
Most tankers switched off their transponders when crossing the strait on July 12.
No liquefied natural gas tankers were visible on tracking data entering the strait over the weekend of July 10-12.
One tanker controlled by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co exited the strait between July 10 and July 12, heading for Dahej port in India.
At Bab el-Mandeb, nine of 18 exiting tankers were carrying crude oil, including two Chinese supertankers bound for China.
The clean tanker Torm Innovation, loaded with around 500,000 barrels of naphtha bound for Asia, rerouted via the Suez Canal exit instead of the typical Bab el-Mandeb exit, according to Kpler and LSEG ship-tracking data.
Rerouting ships via the Suez Canal to Asia instead of via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could make voyages nearly three times as long, according to regional trade sources.

Perspectives

US government: President Donald Trump said on July 12 that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic.

Iranian government: Iran declared earlier that it closed the strait after a vessel traveled on an unapproved route and was struck. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on July 13 that its navy stopped two ships in the strait the previous night by shutting down their systems, without naming the vessels.

US Central Command: US forces completed another wave of strikes against Iran on July 12, hitting dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions, the Central Command said.

How this outlet told it

Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC

Framing: Dramatic statistical drop in Hormuz traffic to single tanker with economic impact emphasis — Economic and logistical concern with emphasis on supply chain disruptions

Facts Included:

Only one tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on July 23, the lowest level since May 7
Three tankers crossed the day earlier (July 22)
Very large crude carrier New Giant loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude exited the strait heading to China's Rizhao port
No ships entered the Strait of Hormuz on July 23
Oil prices surged back to $100 a barrel
US military completed 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran
Bab el-Mandeb crossings totaled 32 on July 23, up from 26 the day before
14 tankers entered the Red Sea and 18 exited to the Gulf of Aden at Bab el-Mandeb
Nine of 18 exiting Bab el-Mandeb tankers carried crude oil including two Chinese supertankers bound for China
Clean tanker Torm Innovation rerouted to Suez Canal with 500,000 barrels of naphtha bound for Asia
Rerouting via Suez Canal makes voyage nearly three times as long
Saudi Aramco offering additional crude cargoes at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir as workaround for Red Sea ports

Read the source article →

Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC

Framing: Multi-week low vessel count emphasizing military conflict and safety concerns — Security-focused with emphasis on military confrontation and Iranian threats

Facts Included:

Six vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (July 12), the lowest number in five weeks
Vessel Humanity, a Very Large Crude Carrier laden with 2 million barrels of Iranian oil, exited the strait
Vessel Capetan Andreas carrying about 500,000 barrels of Kuwaiti oil products exited the strait
Three empty tankers entered the Gulf to load oil
Most tankers switched off their transponders when crossing the strait
No LNG tankers entered the strait over the weekend visible on tracking data
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co tanker exited between July 10-12 heading to Dahej port in India
US forces completed another wave of strikes against Iran on Sunday hitting dozens of targets with precision munitions per Central Command
President Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic
Iran declared earlier that it closed the strait after a vessel traveled on an unapproved route and was struck
Iran's Revolutionary Guards stopped two ships in the strait by shutting down their systems

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimOnly one tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on July 23, compared with three the day earlier, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimOnly one tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on July 23, the lowest level since May 7.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimVery large crude carrier New Giant, loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude, exited the Strait of Hormuz on July 23 and is due to arrive at China's Rizhao port by mid-August.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimNo ships entered the Strait of Hormuz on July 23.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimThe US military completed a 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran on July 23.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimCommodity tanker crossings at the Bab el-Mandeb strait totaled 32 on July 23, up from 26 the day before, according to Kpler data.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimAt Bab el-Mandeb on July 23, 14 tankers were going into the Red Sea and 18 were exiting into the Gulf of Aden.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimOf 18 tankers exiting Bab el-Mandeb on July 23, nine were carrying crude oil, including two loaded Chinese supertankers bound for China.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimThe clean tanker Torm Innovation, loaded with around 500,000 barrels of naphtha bound for Asia, rerouted via the Suez Canal exit instead of the typical Bab el-Mandeb exit.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimRerouting ships via the Suez Canal to Asia instead of via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could make voyages nearly three times as long, according to regional trade sources.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimSaudi Aramco has started offering additional crude cargoes loading at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir as a workaround for loading at its Red Sea ports.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimOil prices surged back to $100 a barrel on July 23.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 24, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC
ClaimSix vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, July 12, the lowest number in five weeks, according to Kpler ship-tracking data.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimThe Very Large Crude Carrier Humanity, laden with 2 million barrels of Iranian oil, exited the Strait of Hormuz on July 12.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimThe tanker Capetan Andreas, carrying about 500,000 barrels of Kuwaiti oil products, exited the Strait of Hormuz on July 12.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimThree empty tankers entered the Gulf to load oil on July 12.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimMost tankers switched off their transponders when crossing the Strait of Hormuz on July 12.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimNo liquefied natural gas tankers that entered the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend of July 10-12 were visible on ship-tracking data.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimOne tanker controlled by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co exited the Strait of Hormuz between July 10 and July 12, heading for Dahej port in India.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimUS forces completed another wave of strikes against Iran on Sunday, July 12, hitting dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions, according to Central Command.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimUS President Donald Trump said on July 12 that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimIran declared earlier that it closed the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel traveled on an unapproved route and was struck.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC
ClaimIran's Revolutionary Guards said on July 13 that its navy stopped two ships in the Strait of Hormuz on the night of July 12 by shutting down their systems.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Jul 13, 2026, 6:45 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: Jerusalem Post 23 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14