The February 28 strikes on Iran prompted an immediate collapse in commercial transits through the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off Persian Gulf ports from global container networks and triggering widespread disruption across the global energy and containerized trade.

According to MarineTraffic, vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint dropped by nearly 70% following the US-Israeli strikes. In its March 30 update, the vessel tracking platform noted transits briefly recovered to 11 crossings on March 28 but reversed course the next day Traffic dropped from roughly a dozen crossings on March 29 to just two on March 30 as military operations in the area intensified.

In BIMCO’s Container Market Overview & Market Outlook released on March 26, Chief Shipping Analyst Niels Rasmussen reported that approximately 130 container ships, representing 1.5% of the global fleet’s capacity are stranded inside the Persian Gulf. As many of these vessels also serve key South Asian markets such as Pakistan and India, it is estimated that nearly 10% of the global fleet has been impacted by the war.

The operational closure of the Strait has effectively severed access to key Persian Gulf ports, forcing the shipping industry to reorganize routes and seek alternative logistics solutions. As reported by The Loadstar, it cited Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime, who estimated that 2 million TEU of cargo has been affected.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) held an emergency session to address the escalating risk to commercial ships and crews and called for the establishment of a safe maritime framework to evacuate commercial ships confined within the Gulf region and to protect seafarers. As reported by the American Journal of Transportation, roughly 20,000 seafarers remain stranded aboard affected vessels.

Source: MarineTraffic, BIMCO, The Loadstar, International Maritime Organization, American Journal of Transportation