According to Bloomberg and maritime monitoring organizations, shipping companies from Greece, the United Arab Emirates, and China have been most affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Thousands of tons of cargo and oil are being delayed in this area, and uncertainty surrounding the safety of maritime routes is increasing.
At least 75 vessels owned by Greek companies have been stuck in this area since the beginning of the conflict, including about 30 oil and gas tankers. This accounts for approximately 12% of the total number of cargo ships that intended to pass through the strait since the onset of hostilities. In just the last 48 hours, around 670 cargo ships have been identified waiting on the western side of the strait. Of these, 120 are owned by companies from the United Arab Emirates - 18% of the total.
These are AIS data, the Automatic Identification System used by most commercial vessels. The system continuously transmits their location, speed, course, and identification details. However, it is assumed that the actual number may be higher, as some ships have turned off their tracking systems.
After the United Arab Emirates and Greece, China also stands out among the countries particularly affected. According to analysis, Chinese companies operate 74 cargo ships in this area, of which 25 are oil and gas tankers, and the rest are bulk carriers and container ships. Other Asian countries also suffer significant damage: Japanese companies have at least 23 oil and gas vessels and 16 bulk carriers in the strait, while another 25 ships linked to Hong Kong - 13 in the energy sector and 12 bulk carriers - are also in the area. 24 Indian tankers cannot pass through the strait, 29 vessels from Singapore are stuck, 22 from South Korea, and three large LNG vessels from Vietnam.
Trade maritime statistics show that, despite the risk, some traffic in the strait continued even after the conflict began. According to maritime intelligence company Kpler, since the onset of hostilities, 225 ships have passed through the strait, including 40 Iranian ones. About 60 other ships were not flying the Iranian flag and are not owned by Iran, but are included in U.S. sanctions lists under the sanctions program against Iran.
