Pressure to restore fully open navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is growing after fresh indications that outbound traffic remains unusually limited even after the ceasefire. The message from Washington is that keeping the waterway open for trade remains a strategic priority, but the sparse movement seen so far suggests tanker operators are still proceeding cautiously while political and security risks remain unresolved.
TankerMap data shows that the bottleneck is still far from normalized. The platform tracks 3,201 crude tankers and 155 energy ports worldwide. Near the Hormuz approach early Thursday, large crude carriers including SINGAPORE LOYALTY, MT TENJUN, PLATA CARRIER and MIRACLE HOPE were still moving slowly or holding position in the wider zone rather than signaling a clear rush back to normal transit patterns. Export terminals also remain exposed to any renewed disruption. Ras Tanura showed eight vessels in port with five departures over the past 24 hours, while Iran’s Kharg Island recorded one departure in the same period. That mix of active loading and restrained vessel movement highlights why even a partial blockage can continue to distort crude flows, insurance costs and refinery buying far beyond the Gulf.