Visible commodity vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz declined to five ships per day over the weekend as shipping companies remained cautious amid continuing attacks in the strategic waterway, according to shipping data.

The actual volume of traffic may have been higher because some vessels have turned off their automatic identification system signals in an effort to avoid attacks. Kpler data indicated that weekend movements were limited to smaller vessels, including two liquefied petroleum gas carriers.

One of the LPG carriers left the strait using the Iranian route, while the other departed in darkness and was heading towards India. By comparison, 14 vessels transited the waterway on Friday. They included a very large crude carrier carrying 2 million barrels of Qatari oil, which exited with its transponder switched off.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Sunday that a tanker had been hit by an unidentified projectile while making an inbound transit through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. The incident was the third attack in the strait reported by the agency within a week.

Iranian state television subsequently reported that a supertanker had caught fire and stopped completely after being struck by two naval mines in the southern part of the strait. Citing a statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the report said the vessel had attempted to pass through the waterway illegally.

The Guards did not identify the tanker or provide information about its crew. The supplied information does not establish whether the Iranian report concerned the same tanker incident reported by UKMTO. The Guards also warned that ships breaching its security rules would face similar action and said compliance with its passage regulations was mandatory.

Regional tensions increased after US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. These were described as the first known US strikes on Iran since late July.

The International Maritime Organization has renewed its appeal for the restoration of safe and unhindered navigation. According to the IMO, thousands of seafarers have remained stranded in the Persian Gulf since the current Middle East conflict began on February 28. At least 70 attacks on international shipping have been verified by the organization, with 19 seafarers killed.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said up to 400 ships carrying approximately 6,000 seafarers had been unable to leave the region safely. He also warned that disruption to shipments of fuel, fertilizers and other commodities was affecting supply chains and economies worldwide.

In July, the IMO Council adopted a resolution reaffirming that transit passage through straits used for international navigation must not be threatened, obstructed or suspended. Dominguez called for renewed political cooperation among member states, the shipping industry, the IMO and the wider United Nations system to restore freedom of navigation through Hormuz.