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

The actual number of transits may have been higher because some ships have deactivated their automatic identification system to reduce the risk of being targeted. Kpler data showed 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 sailed out during darkness and was heading towards India. By comparison, 14 vessels transited the strait 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 a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile on Saturday while sailing inbound through the Strait of Hormuz. The incident, reported by UKMTO on Sunday, was the third attack in the strait recorded by the agency during the previous week.

Iranian state television separately reported that a supertanker caught fire and stopped after being hit 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 transit the waterway illegally. The Guards did not identify the tanker or provide details about its crew.

The Revolutionary Guards said ships must comply with its passage regulations and warned that vessels breaching its security rules would face consequences.

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 meanwhile renewed its call for safe and unhindered navigation. According to the IMO, thousands of seafarers have remained 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 depart the Gulf safely since the conflict started. He also warned that the disruption was affecting supply chains for fuel, fertilizers and other commodities.

In July, the IMO Council adopted a resolution reaffirming the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation. The measure called for coordinated action to restore unhindered shipping through Hormuz.

Dominguez urged IMO member states and the maritime industry to cooperate with the organization and the wider United Nations system on practical measures to restore freedom of navigation. He also highlighted growing maritime security risks in other regions, including the Black Sea, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.