Hormuz transits claw back in June as ships pile into the Red Sea
Strait traffic more than doubled from May but stayed far below normal, while Bab el Mandeb and Suez hit multi-year highs
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz picked up in June from a subdued May but stayed far below normal levels, according to tracking data, while vessels rerouting away from the Gulf pushed traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal to multi-year highs.
Preliminary figures show at least 576 transits of the strait in June, up from 233 in May but well down on the 3,131 recorded a year earlier. Non-Iranian traffic made up nearly 70% of trackable transits last month, with just over 400 passings, split between 264 outbound and 137 inbound. Outbound ships were mainly bulkers and crude and product tankers, while inbound traffic added gas carriers to the mix. Transits split roughly evenly between "dark" voyages, with tracking signals switched off, and vessels sailing openly.
The picture remains highly volatile. Owners and operators had begun returning to the beleaguered lane in January 2025, a trend accelerated by the wider situation in the Middle East Gulf, but day-to-day flows have swung sharply.
Much of the diverted tonnage has moved to the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Suez Canal, both of which had a record month. Preliminary June figures put Bab el Mandeb traffic at 1,338 transits, up 39% year on year though still 41% below normal levels, with Suez Canal traffic at 1,081, up 26% year on year but 45% below normal. Bab el Mandeb tonnage was the highest since December 2023 and Suez the highest since January 2024.
Crude oil tankers have led the shift back to the Red Sea, which owners increasingly view as the lesser evil compared with the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East Gulf; some 355 crude tanker transits of Bab el Mandeb were logged in June against 220 a year earlier. Larger container lines have also begun routing ships through, vehicle carrier transits more than doubled year on year, and LPG volumes topped 1m dwt for the first time since December 2023. Dark transits remain elevated, accounting for at least 13% of Bab el Mandeb traffic last month, up from 6% a year earlier. Through Suez, the recovery has been more evenly spread, with bulkers, containerships, crude tankers and vehicle carriers all posting the biggest year-on-year gains.
