The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast has dropped to a minimum after several vessels turned back over the weekend.
According to Bloomberg, at least eight ships made sudden U-turns on July 3-4. Four later left the strait via the Iranian coastline.
Among the returnees were oil tankers, bulkers, and car carriers. Data from Kpler shows that on July 4, 19 ships crossed the strait in both directions, but only one explicitly used the Omani route. A day earlier, 13 ships had taken that route.
No official explanation has been given. However, Bloomberg recalls that Tehran has declared ships must only use Iranian-approved routes.
