After the agreement between America and Iran, preparations have started to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. According to shipping data company Kpler, currently about 600 ships are stuck inside the Persian Gulf and waiting to get out. On the other hand, hundreds of empty ships are also parked outside the bay, which are ready to go in as soon as the path opens. The actual number may be higher, as some ships have switched off their transponders and their information is not yet on record.
These stranded ships also include 13 Indian flagged cargo ships. A total of 562 Indian sailors are present on these ships. According to India’s Shipping Ministry, 329 of these sailors are stranded in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, while 233 sailors are stranded in the Gulf of Oman. These Indian ships and sailors have been facing this crisis for the last 107 days. In the last 4 months, 46 ships have become victims of attacks in Hormuz. Iran captured two container ships. 5 ships with Indian crew members have been attacked, out of which 2 were attacked by Iran and 3 by America.
How many ships used to pass through Hormuz earlier?
On normal days, more than 80 to 130 ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz daily, that is, more than 30,000 tankers annually. Between March 8 and 8, an average of only 6 ships passed here every day, whereas before the war in February this number was an average of 100 ships per day. Only 191 ships were able to pass through this route in the entire month of April, and the traffic was running at only 5% of the average in the last two months. On June 10, 2026, Iran announced the complete closure of the strait to all commercial and tanker traffic. On June 7, only 2 ships passed through this route.
Indian tanker seen leaving Hormuz
Even after the news of the agreement, there was very little movement of ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning. Meanwhile, an Indian LNG tanker ‘Disha’ has been seen moving towards Hormuz. This ship was stuck in the Persian Gulf for more than three months. According to Bloomberg’s ship-tracking data, it is currently approaching Oman, north of the UAE. This tanker had loaded gas from Ras Laffan Terminal in Qatar on March 1.
When will traffic become normal?
Shipping companies are still not completely convinced. He says that normal movement will start only after the security and road conditions are cleared. Shipping organizations have warned that if a large number of ships start leaving simultaneously, there could be a sea jam. Apart from this, problems related to mines laid in the sea will also have to be resolved. Iran says it will take at least 30 days to remove the sea mines. Experts say that even after the opening of Hormuz, it may take several weeks or several months to return to the normal situation like before the war.
Also read: Consensus reached on 14 issues in US-Iran deal, but these issues still unresolved
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