The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively chocked off as the United States-Israel war against Iran entered its 100th day on Sunday.
Iran has been restricting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz following the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that began on Feb 28. The United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the strait on April 13, targeting vessels traveling to or from Iran.
Commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, once one of the world's busiest energy waterways, has since slowed to just a fraction of its pre-war levels.
A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran has been in place since April, but it is currently under severe strain following a recent exchange of military strikes.
On Friday, the U.S. military struck radar sites on Iran's Qeshm Island, while Iran launched retaliatory attacks against U.S. military targets located in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Not a single large commercial vessel transited the Strait of Hormuz and the waters remained eerily quiet on Saturday, according to a China Media Group (CMG) crew reporting from the scene.
Meanwhile, the Port of Seeb, located on the Omani coast just outside the Strait of Hormuz, continues to serve as a local coastal hub with hundreds of mostly cargo vessels still stranded there on Saturday.
An estimated 20,000 sailors have been trapped for weeks on board the vessels anchored at the port, relying on speedboats to bring them daily necessities.
Moreover, insurance premiums for tankers operating near the Strait of Hormuz have surged dramatically due to the regional conflict.
According to some global shipping monitoring agencies, some vessels transiting the strait turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders to mitigate security risks, making it difficult to accurately ascertain the actual traffic situation.
Strait of Hormuz remains closed 100 days into war against Iran
