Eight vessels, not including ships flying the Iranian flag, were detected in the critical waterway via the vessels' automatic identification systems on Monday, maritime intelligence company Windward said on Tuesday. The number of transits was nearly double the numbers seen in recent days, according to Windward.
All of the details are still being finalized but what we know is one of the ships that was carrying about six of our containers, and each container having about 40,000 pounds of rice, was struck by one of the Iranian drones. So we know the ship is damaged, we know it's not sunk. We don't know whether or not our individual container was damaged, but we know this would be a significant delay to receive those six containers.
If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.
About 20% of the world's oil and liquid natural gas pass through the strait, and the sudden traffic halt has sent prices soaring. But that spike also promises a massive payday for any ships willing to make their deliveries. Freight rates have soared to record highs, and a very large crude carrier heading from the strait to China can earn about $500,000 in revenue per day.