Singapore, Sept. 16 (SANA)Only fourvesselscrossed theStrait of Hormuzon Tuesday, down from seven a day earlier and far below the 130 to 140 ships that typically used the waterway each day before the war, preliminaryshipping datashowed Wednesday.

The four crossings were also well below the 10-day average of 18 vessels. Two ships entered the strait and two exited, with no very large crude carriers (VLCCs) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers among them.

The actual number of crossings could be higher because some vessels transit the waterway with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders switched off, meaning they are not captured by ship-tracking data.

Tanker attack underscores security risks

The sharp decline in traffic comes as security incidents continue to threaten commercial shipping in and around the strait.

Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said two sailors were missing and 23 others were rescued following an attack on the Panama-flagged oil tankerEl Gaianear the Musandam Peninsula.

The centre said the tanker was being towed to an Omani port on Tuesday after a fire broke out in its engine room, adding that the vessel was targeted about 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 kilometers) north of Musandam.

Accounts of the incident differed. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the tanker struck naval mines while passing through what it described as a restricted and unsafe route. The U.S. military disputed the Iranian account, saying the tanker had previously been struck by an Iranian missile and was hit again by a drone over the weekend.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre separately said it received a report that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday, causing a fire on board.

Traffic remains a fraction of pre-war levels

Shipping through the strait has fallen sharply since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Before the conflict, between 130 and 140 vessels typically crossed the waterway each day.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical route for global energy supplies, with about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments normally passing through the waterway.

International efforts focus on restoring navigation

Efforts to restore navigation are also emerging as an issue in international security discussions. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday, with Seoul’s possible contribution to securing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz expected to be among the issues discussed.

South Korea has been considering its possible role in efforts to secure the waterway, but Cho told his Iranian counterpart last week that Seoul had made no decision on deploying military assets to the region.

Markets are closely watching diplomatic and security efforts aimed at restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as commercial traffic remains a fraction of pre-war levels.