【By Observer Net, Xiong Chaoran】Due to the ongoing military conflict among the US, Israel, and Iran, the world has felt the taste of the strait of Hormuz being choked, and trade exchanges have been abruptly blocked.
On March 8 local time, Bloomberg produced a special series called "Hormuz Tracker", aiming to track the movement of all merchant ships during this round of tensions in the Middle East. The report stated that passage through the Strait of Hormuz has been nearly stagnant for seven consecutive days, and within the past 24 hours, only ships related to Iran have passed through the strait.
According to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, during the observed passage window, one bulk carrier related to Iran left the Persian Gulf, with no vessels traveling in the opposite direction. Notably, the last commercial vessel that did not have a clear connection to Iran and passed through the Strait of Hormuz was the Chinese-owned bulk carrier "Sino Ocean", which passed through on the morning of March 7 local time.
The recent situation of entry and exit through the Strait of Hormuz, almost completely stopped. Bloomberg map
According to the report, due to oil tankers being unable to enter or leave the Persian Gulf, many oil storage tanks are being filled up, and some refineries have already cut production capacity.
For example, Iraq has been forced to reduce its oil production, followed by Kuwait and the UAE, while Saudi Arabia has increased its oil exports through its Red Sea ports to record highs. Tracking data shows that as of March 6 local time, there were only nine empty super tankers remaining in the Persian Gulf.
Bloomberg said that due to widespread signal interference and transponder failures, real-time tracking of ships near the Strait of Hormuz has become very difficult. This information gap makes continuous daily monitoring impossible because the positions of ships are often discovered only after they reappear in satellite signals several days later.
Since ships can sail without Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals before leaving the Strait of Hormuz, monitors collect automatic position signals across a vast area covering the Oman Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea to identify ships that may have left or entered the Persian Gulf.
Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg
When potential transit movements are detected, researchers check the relevant signal history to determine whether these movements actually occurred or were the result of "spoofing" - where electronic interference fakes a ship's apparent location.
If a ship's transponder has not been reactivated, some transit movements may not be detectable. Oil tankers associated with Iran often do not broadcast AIS signals after leaving the Persian Gulf until they arrive at the Strait of Malacca about 10 days later after passing through Fujairah in the UAE. Other ships may also adopt similar practices, so they will not appear on tracking systems for many days.
Amid the war, Iran has recently announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and more and more stranded merchant ships have begun to take on "identity disguise" - changing the information on their transponders to claim they are Chinese ships.
The Financial Times of the UK analyzed the maritime tracking platform Marine Traffic on March 6, showing that in the past week, at least 10 ships had changed their destination signals to "Chinese shipowner", "all Chinese crew members", or "there are Chinese crew members on board".
Data from the Lloyd's Market Association (LMA) indicates that approximately 1,000 ships are currently trapped in the gulf and surrounding waters, with a total value of about $2.5 billion.
This article is an exclusive article from Observer Net. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7615068013015941632/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.