Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains low more than a day after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, UNN reports, citing CNN.
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As of Thursday morning local time, MarineTraffic data showed large clusters of vessels still anchored in the Persian Gulf.
According to monitoring resource data published a day earlier, more than 400 tankers, 34 liquefied petroleum gas tankers, and 19 liquefied natural gas carriers remain in the region.
Trump stated that the strait would be "open and safe" in a Truth Social post late Wednesday. Earlier, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that shipping through the waterway had ceased after Israel's bombing of Lebanon, which Tehran said was a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Since the ceasefire was announced, a small number of vessels have passed through the strait, including the Greek bulk carrier NJ Earth and the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Daytona Beach.
According to Lloyd's List, an average of 107 cargo ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily before the war.
Experts warn that it will likely take some time before more ships transit in larger numbers.
"It's very much a watch-and-wait situation," said Simon Kaye, global reinsurance director at NorthStandard, which provides liability insurance for much of the world's shipping fleet.
"You can't fully rush out. Each vessel has to get special permission to go through the strait," he said.
Meanwhile, according to CNN, there were no reports of overnight strikes from Persian Gulf countries, for the first time since the conflict began.
In the Persian Gulf, "for the first time since the US and Israeli attack on Iran, which caused widespread retaliatory strikes that turned the region upside down, there have been no reports of overnight drone or missile attacks," the publication writes.
According to reports from several Persian Gulf countries, which reported missile interceptions before noon, the US-Iran truce came into effect only a few hours later on Wednesday.
"However, these public channels have recently become extremely quiet - indicating that, at least for now, Iran's dispersed forces seem to have ceased shelling with missiles and drones," the publication indicates.
Chart shows Iran may have put sea mines in Strait of Hormuz - AP09.04.26, 09:30