Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Why Commercial Vessel Traffic Collapsed and What Happened With Iran's Drone Strikes and Sea Mines

At least one ship was struck and confirmed by multiple sources: the Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku, carrying crude oil for Qatar's state-run energy company, was hit by an unidentified projectile while transiting the strait on the morning of June 27 . No crew injuries or oil leakage were reported . CENTCOM said it struck Iranian "surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities" in response .

A separate incident involved the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely, which was hit by an Iranian one-way attack drone on June 25 while exiting the strait along the Omani coast, according to CENTCOM . This strike prompted the UN's International Maritime Organization to temporarily pause its evacuation operation .

Mines and Alternative Shipping Channels

The UN's International Maritime Organization estimated that approximately 80 mines remain in the historic shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz—specifically the middle corridor known as the Traffic Separation Scheme . The tanker owner trade body Intertanko confirmed that the central area is obstructed by about 80 mines and that regular shipping cannot resume until they are cleared .

Because of the mine hazard, the Iran war led to the creation of two alternative shipping channels: one hugging Oman's coast and coordinated by the U.S., and a separate Tehran-controlled route closer to Iranian territorial waters . The IRGC warned ships that navigating outside designated routes was "extremely hazardous and forbidden" and threatened action against vessels that ignored the directive .

India-Bound Ships 'Going Dark'

A growing number of commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz have been switching off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders, a practice known as "going dark." This makes it harder to track ships and may undercount actual traffic .

Data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler shows that nearly 62% of tankers and cargo vessels sailing from the Persian Gulf to India turned off their transponders while crossing the strait, according to a report by NDTV . This specific figure is supported by that single source; other reports confirm that dark transits increased but do not independently verify the 62% figure for India-bound vessels specifically .

The Fragile U.S.-Iran Ceasefire and Recovery Stalls

The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 15, 2026, aimed at ending hostilities and restoring commercial traffic through the strait . The agreement followed a 110-day disruption that began with the start of the Iran conflict on February 28 . In the week following the ceasefire, 125 transits were recorded, the highest weekly total since the war began .

However, the recovery proved fragile. The June 25 drone strike on the M/V Ever Lovely threw fresh uncertainty over the passage, halting the UN evacuation plan and sending some tankers into reverse . By June 29, shipping through the strait had slowed again, with only 12 commodity vessels crossing on Sunday compared to 29 on Saturday .

The strait remains open, but the number of ships using it is still well below prewar levels, and the presence of mines, the risk of further drone attacks, and competing Iranian and U.S.-coordinated routing schemes continue to hamper a return to normal operations .