Ships transiting Strait of Hormuz go dark, hug Irans Coast to evade Tehrans wrath

WASHINGTON — The world’s most important oil chokepoint is becoming a black hole.Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed dramatically since the US resumed strikes on Iran two weeks ago, with traffic falling to levels not seen since the height of the conflict as insurance costs soar and security risks mount — but some vessels secretly continue to brave the waterway anyway.Iran has declared the waterway closed, threatening any ships that dare to transit the international waterway without Tehran’s express permission.The US holds that the strait remains open — except to ships sailing to or from Iranian ports.Some vessels are disappearing from public tracking systems, maritime analysts say, while others appear to be sailing closer to Iran’s side of the narrow waterway — raising fresh questions about whether Tehran is quietly tightening its grip on global commerce and if it’s profiting from ships seeking safe passage.The unusual traffic patterns come after weeks of Iranian attacks and threats against commercial shipping sent the rate of vessels sailing through the strait plunging.There were roughly 15 ships tracked through the strait between Thursday and Friday — down about 50% from traffic average during the US-Iran cease-fire.

Pre-war traffic through the strait hovered between 130 and 150 ships per day.But publicly available tracking websites no longer capture the full picture because some captains are disabling their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders before entering the danger zone, according to maritime intelligence firms.That has fueled speculation over how much business is actually flowing through Hormuz — and whether Iran is financially benefiting despite crushing US sanctions.Earlier reporting during the conflict suggested some commercial shippers were asked to pay as much as $2 million for assurances of safe passage through waters threatened by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.However, there ...