A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska as USS Spruance (DDG 111) conduts its interception in a location given as the north Arabian Sea, in this screen capture from a video released April 19, 2026. CENTCOM\/Handout via REUTERS<\/p>\n
Hormuz Traffic at Standstill as US Vessel Seizure Widens Risk<\/p>\n
Apr 20, 2026 (Bloomberg) \u2013Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a virtual standstill on Monday after a brief and confused reopening over the weekend ended with the first US<\/p>\n
of an Iranian vessel \u2014 underscoring just how difficult it will be to restore activity in the vital strait.<\/p>\n
Transits through the waterway have reduced to a trickle over seven weeks of war in the Persian Gulf, as Iran tightens control in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes. On Friday, that paralysis appeared to be at an end as Iran and the US announced a reopening, prompting oil to plunge and vessels to rush for the crossing \u2014 only for the situation to rapidly unravel.<\/p>\n
By Sunday, the US navy had seized an Iranian cargo ship in waters off the Iranian port of Jask in the Gulf of Oman as it headed toward Hormuz \u2014 the first such move during this US blockade \u2014 raising the stakes for shipowners operating across the region and widening the area seen to be risky for transits.<\/p>\n
has jumped in response, as a historic supply crisis begins to look even more prolonged.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe continued volatility will deter most, if not all shipowners, to adopt a cautious \u2018wait and see\u2019 approach,\u201d said Ivan Mathews, head of APAC analysis at Vortexa Ltd.<\/p>\n
One oil products tanker on the move, the<\/p>\n
, currently just south of the island of Larak and heading out of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman, is a vessel that has been sanctioned by the UK, the European Union and Switzerland over its involvement in the Russian oil trade. It is signaling its destination as Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
Gunfire, U-Turns and Threats Mark a Chaotic Weekend in Hormuz<\/p>\n
Sailing in the opposite direction is<\/p>\n
, a US-sanctioned liquefied petroleum gas carrier making its way into the strait from Fujairah, indicating Sharjah in the UAE as a destination. Next to it is a medium-range oil tanker,<\/p>\n
, which is signaling the UAE\u2019s Hamriyah as its next port of call.<\/p>\n
Liquefied natural gas tankers had also approached the strait in the wake of the apparent opening, but ultimately also U-turned or are idling while waiting for clarity.<\/p>\n
A fragile US\u2014Iran ceasefire is due to expire at the end of Tuesday. It is unclear whether that truce will be extended, or whether talks between US and Iranian officials in Islamabad will go ahead later this week.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg L.P.<\/p>\n