Hormuz remains open, but traffic confidence has weakened after the EVER LOVELY strike.
The fresh operating signal is reduced tanker movement, unresolved IMO restart conditions and renewed security exposure for Gulf exit planning.
1. Hormuz Traffic Slows After EVER LOVELY Strike
• Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to 13 transits on Friday, down from 24 on Thursday and 27 on Wednesday, according to Kpler analysis reported by Reuters.
• The slowdown followed the June 25 strike on the Taiwanese-operated, Singapore-flagged cargo vessel EVER LOVELY near Oman.
• The vessel strike is no longer the new event; today’s hard change is lower transit confidence and reduced flow through the Strait.
• Overall Hormuz movement remains materially below normal, with ship traffic still failing to recover to pre-conflict levels.
2. IMO Restart Effort Leaves Hundreds of Ships Waiting
• The IMO suspended its voluntary Gulf evacuation scheme after the attack and is working to restart movements once safety guarantees are secured.
• About 115 vessels carrying roughly 2,500 seafarers had already moved before the pause, according to Reuters and IMO-related reporting.
• Hundreds of ships remain exposed to delay, crew-welfare pressure, cargo uncertainty and changing routing instructions until the evacuation corridor is restored.
• Masters and ship managers should treat any planned Gulf exit as conditional on company, flag, insurer and coastal-state clearance.
3. Ras Tanura Restart Splits the Market Signal
• Saudi Aramco resumed crude loading at Ras Tanura after a near four-month halt, with two VLCCs reported loading and another waiting nearby.
• Each VLCC is capable of loading about 2 million barrels, making the restart a direct tanker-market and crude-flow signal.
• The restart supports Gulf export recovery even as Hormuz security conditions remain unstable.
• Oil prices moved lower as buyers priced continuing tanker movement and resumed Gulf loading rather than a full Strait closure.
4. U.S. Response and Iran Control Claim Raise Charterparty Risk
• Reuters reported that U.S. forces struck Iranian missile, drone-storage and coastal-radar sites after the commercial-ship attack.
• Iran’s deputy foreign minister said safe passage through the Strait could not be guaranteed without coordination with Tehran.
• The competing security and passage-control signals increase exposure around deviation, off-hire, war-risk premium, safe-port/safe-berth wording and refusal-to-proceed disputes.
• Operators should preserve routing approvals, coastal-state communications, VHF exchanges, AIS tracks, ECDIS route history, VDR records and charterer instructions for any later claim file.
Strategic Summary & Actions Required
• Masters planning Gulf exit should treat Hormuz as open but not normalized, and should verify company, flag, insurer and coastal-state clearance before committing to transit.
• Ship managers should update vessel-specific war-risk, deviation, emergency-response and crew-welfare files for all tonnage still awaiting exit or operating near the Strait.
• Charterers and operators should review laycan, demurrage, off-hire, force majeure, safe-port and security-cost allocation where Hormuz delays affect performance.
• Tanker desks should price Ras Tanura restart separately from security risk, since crude loading is recovering while transit confidence remains fragile.
• DPA/CSO teams should require full evidence preservation for Gulf transits, including AIS, VDR, VHF, ECDIS, NAVTEX, company instructions and coastal-state communications.
Operational Status
CRITICAL RED — Hormuz Traffic Slowdown / IMO Evacuation Restart Pending / Named Vessel Strike Fallout / War-Risk, Routing and Charterparty Exposure
Latest DeepDraft Analysis
The Shadow Fleet’s Human Firewall
https://thedeepdraft.com/2026/06/22/the-shadow-fleets-human-firewall/
Excerpt: Sanctions pressure is moving from vessel files to bridge-level accountability, making Masters, managers and operators part of the enforcement chain when ownership, cargo or AIS behavior fails scrutiny.
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Sources
Reuters, IMO, MPA Singapore, MarineLink, Seatrade Maritime, Kpler
This update is part of the DeepDraft SITREP series covering developing maritime operational situations.
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