Hormuz Strait shipping nearly comes to a standstill as Iranian military seizes multiple vessels.

The global energy transport chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, was almost brought to a halt on Wednesday. The Iranian military fired at commercial ships and seized multiple vessels, further escalating the risk in this key waterway. Reports indicated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the commercial ships MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, accusing them of attempting to secretly leave the Strait of Hormuz. Media reports also mentioned a third vessel being attacked. At the same time, at least two Iranian super-tankers attempted to pass through the US maritime blockade to test American enforcement and interception efforts. Iran believes that US blockades are hindering peaceful negotiation processes. According to ship tracking data, on Wednesday only one Iranian-related liquefied petroleum gas transport ship completed its departure voyage, and the number of vessels entering the Persian Gulf was also extremely limited. Market intelligence agency Vortexa pointed out that Iran has redirected its super-tankers Hero II and Hedy towards the Arabian Sea, a key area where the US is trying to strengthen the blockade of Iranian shipping. Meanwhile, the US military demonstrated its maritime operational capabilities by not only detaining a cargo ship related to Iran but also searching a sanctioned oil tanker near Sri Lanka. Despite ongoing maritime tensions, US President Trump is still pushing for an extension of the ceasefire arrangement, signaling some restraint. However, with negotiations stalled and maritime confrontations ongoing, market sentiment remains highly tense. Data shows that in the past 24 hours, vessels maintaining AIS automatic identification system signals and passing through the Strait of Hormuz have been concentrated in the narrow northern passages near Iran's Larak Island and Qeshm Island, which are approved routes by Tehran. Analysts pointed out that the blockade escalation may lead to more vessels shutting off tracking signals to avoid risks, making it harder to grasp the actual passage situation and potentially leading to an overestimation of future shipping data. As some tankers tend to resume sending location data only after leaving high-risk waters, for example, some Iranian-affiliated tankers often wait until about 10 days after passing through the Fujairah in the UAE before resuming data transmission near the Strait of Malacca. Therefore, current monitoring data may underestimate actual transport activities.