Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz fell close to a standstill over the weekend after a series of tanker attacks, with vessel-tracking data showing an unusually sharp reduction in traffic.

Kpler recorded five commodity-vessel crossings on Saturday and none on Sunday, according to Reuters. That compares with 31 commodity-vessel crossings during the previous weekend, underlining the speed of the decline.

The latest figures provide a clearer measure of the disruption than broader estimates of maritime activity because they track vessels carrying commodities such as oil, gas and other cargoes.

31 Crossings to Zero

The weekend numbers show how quickly commercial traffic has contracted.

The fall from 31 crossings over the previous weekend to five on Saturday represents an 84% reduction in the comparable daily count if Saturday is compared with the earlier weekend's total. Sunday then recorded no commodity-vessel crossing in Kpler's data.

The figures do not mean that every vessel has stopped moving in the wider Gulf. They specifically show the sharp reduction in commodity traffic recorded through the Strait.

Indian-Flagged Gas Carrier Crossed

Among the small number of vessels that did use the waterway on Saturday was an Indian-flagged very large gas carrier, according to Kpler data cited by Reuters.

The vessel used the Iranian route through the strait, highlighting that some commercial operators are still attempting to navigate the waterway despite the security risks.

Other vessels recorded entering the strait included an empty very large crude carrier whose automatic identification system was switched off. A small tanker carrying Iranian fuel oil was also recorded exiting the waterway.

Tanker Attacks Changed Traffic

The steep decline follows attacks involving commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The United Arab Emirates has accused Iran of attacking vessels operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), including an incident reported on Friday. The UAE said there were no injuries in that particular attack and called for the waterway to be reopened.

The latest attacks have added to an already deteriorating security environment for ship operators. The reduction in crossings suggests that owners and operators are increasingly reluctant to send commodity vessels through the strait while the risk remains elevated.

Traffic Was Already Falling

The weekend collapse did not come out of nowhere.

Kpler data reported by Reuters last week showed commodity-vessel traffic had already fallen below its August average. On Thursday, only nine commodity vessels crossed the strait, compared with an August daily average of about 12. Most of those ships used Iranian routes.

On Tuesday, Kpler recorded only eight vessels, compared with a 10-day average of roughly 12. Before the current conflict and the disruption that followed, the waterway typically handled around 130 to 140 vessel transits a day.

The weekend data therefore represents another significant step down from already depressed traffic levels.

Oil Market Watching the Numbers

The shipping slowdown is being closely watched by energy markets because fewer tanker movements can eventually translate into tighter availability of crude, petroleum products and gas.

Brent crude rose as much as 1% on Monday to around $89.40 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate reached about $82.83, with both benchmarks responding to the combination of reduced Hormuz traffic and stalled US-Iran negotiations.

However, the immediate price response has been more restrained than the shipping data might suggest. The market is also assessing inventories, alternative routes, production levels and whether the disruption persists.

What the Data Shows Next

For now, the clearest signal is the traffic count: five commodity vessels on Saturday, zero on Sunday, against 31 during the previous weekend.

The next few days will show whether Sunday's zero crossing was a temporary interruption or the beginning of a sustained halt in commercial commodity movements.

For India and other major energy importers, the presence of an Indian-flagged gas carrier among the few vessels using the Iranian route will also be closely watched. But one vessel crossing does not indicate a restoration of normal traffic.

The immediate indicator to watch is therefore not simply whether Hormuz remains technically navigable, but how many commercial commodity vessels are actually willing and able to cross it each day.