SINGAPORE, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Over the weekend, the number of visible cargo ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz fell to just five per day, according to shipping data released on Monday. Companies are being more cautious due to ongoing attacks on vessels.
The actual number of ships may be higher because some have turned off their automatic identification systems to avoid detection during attacks.
Traffic during the weekend mainly consisted of smaller ships, according to data from commodities firm Kpler. This included two liquefied petroleum gas carriers; one took the Iranian route to exit the strait, while the other left at night heading for India.
On Friday, 14 ships passed through the strait, including a very large crude carrier carrying 2 million barrels of oil from Qatar, which left with its transponder turned off.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that on Saturday, a tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile while entering the Hormuz strait.
This was the third attack reported in the strait by the agency in the past week.
Tensions in the Gulf increased after U.S. forces targeted two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. This marked the first known U.S. strikes against Iran since late July.