Shipping traffic in Hormuz falls to one-week low amid Middle East tensions

SINGAPORE - The tally of vessels tracked in the Strait of Hormuz fell to a one-week low of eight on Tuesday, shipping data showed, as owners avoided the key waterway amid continued hostilities in the Middle East.

The United States and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks as prospects appeared to dim for an end to the Iran war, with Tehran saying the strait would stay closed unless Washington accepted its conditions.

Tuesday's tally of eight vessels fell below a 10-day average of about 12, for the lowest daily count since August 5, Kpler data showed. Only one, a coal carrier, exited the strait, while the rest were still making their way through.

The seven entering all took the Iranian route.

Separate LSEG data showed 11 transits on Tuesday, down from 14 the prior day.

About 130 to 140 ships typically transited the strait before Iran closed the waterway since the U.S.-Israeli attacks began on February 28.

The tally of 30 vessels crossing the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea on Tuesday was above a 10-day average of 25, Kpler data showed.

-Reporting by Siyi Liu in Singapore; Editing by Clarence Fernandez/Reuters