As of 5 a.m. ET this morning, seven tankers or cargo ships have moved through the Strait of Hormuz in the preceding 12 hours, according to data collected by NBC News from MarineTraffic, a vessel tracking service.
Smaller special craft or tugboats were also present in the strait, along with three Iranian ships, including a tanker.
Multiple ships transiting through the strait have had intermittent pauses in the transmission of the Automated Identification Signal (AIS), which the International Maritime Organization mandates for many ships, including container vessels and tankers, to ensure safety in the world’s waterways.
The Panamanian-flagged cargo ship MSC Francesca had been in the Persian Gulf since April 18, before it maneuvered toward the strait and turned off its transponder. The ship reappeared this morning off the coast of Iran, east of the strait.
Likewise the Epaminondas, a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, was last detected in the Persian Gulf on April 18, heading toward the strait. It then stopped transmitting an AIS signal before it reappeared in the Strait of Hormuz this morning.
The Euphoria, a cargo ship sailing under the flag of Panama, did not turn off its transmitter and passed through the strait, south of the Iranian island of Larak, on April 21, before making multiple turns on its way through the strait this morning, slowing to a speed of less than 1 nautical mile per hour at around 5:30 a.m. ET, before picking up speed around an hour later.