Hormuz crossings fall by half as Bab el-Mandeb traffic holds steady Vessel activity through the Strait of Hormuz declined sharply on 31 August, with five confirmed crossings, down 50% from 10 the previous day, according to #MarineTraffic# data. Four vessels entered the Middle East Gulf, while one exited. The crossings followed a mix of Iranian, Omani and negotiated routes and included two shadow-fleet vessels and one sanctioned vessel. This figure remains preliminary, as “dark” crossings may be retrospectively identified and added as new confirmation data becomes available. By contrast, activity through Bab el-Mandeb remained broadly stable, with 35 confirmed crossings, up 2.9% day-on-day. Nineteen vessels entered the Red Sea and 16 exited, with no dark transits or new IMO-confirmed attacks recorded.