Meanwhile, East of Hormuz, dark tanker positioning near Chabahar continues to build.<\/p>\n
At a glance<\/p>\n
Hormuz transit holds at 13 crossings, all AIS-visible with no dark activity.
\nGulf vessel presence declines to 890, indicating a slight contraction.
\nDark activity rises sharply to 148 events, signaling increased deception.
\nChabahar cluster expands with five dark tankers holding 7\u20138M barrels capacity.
\nIranian-linked vessels intensify AIS spoofing to mask crude loading.
\nThe system reflects\u00a0visible transit alongside growing concealment and evasion<\/p>\n
Transit holds steady with full visibility<\/p>\n
Transit activity through the Strait of Hormuz remained steady on April 28, maintaining moderate volumes under full transparency. A total of\u00a013 vessels crossed the Strait, including\u00a04 inbound\u00a0and\u00a09 outbound\u00a0transits. All movements were AIS-visible, with no dark transits recorded.<\/p>\n
Inbound traffic\u00a0included\u00a0one Panama-flagged bulk carrier\u00a0and\u00a0three cargo vessels, one flagged to\u00a0Comoros\u00a0and\u00a0two\u00a0to\u00a0India.\u00a0Outbound traffic\u00a0consisted of\u00a0two tankers\u00a0flagged to\u00a0Panama,\u00a0two bulk carriers\u00a0flagged to\u00a0Panama\u00a0and\u00a0China, and\u00a0five cargo vessels, with one flagged to\u00a0Antigua and Barbuda,\u00a0two\u00a0to\u00a0Iran, and\u00a0two\u00a0to\u00a0Comoros.<\/p>\n All transits were routed through the Northern Corridor.<\/p>\n A notable movement included a\u00a0Japanese-owned, Panama-flagged VLCC transiting outbound without Iranian linkage, reinforcing that\u00a0non-sanctioned commercial traffic continues to move through the Strait under current conditions, even as Iran-linked activity remains constrained.<\/p>\n Gulf activity contracts as deception surges<\/p>\n Total vessel presence across the Gulf declined slightly to 890 vessels, continuing the gradual contraction seen in recent days. Panama\u00a0remains the dominant flag state with\u00a0142 vessels, followed by\u00a0Iran\u00a0(93),\u00a0Comoros\u00a0(83),\u00a0the UAE\u00a0(74),\u00a0Marshall Islands\u00a0(72), and\u00a0Liberia\u00a0(67).<\/p>\n Fleet composition includes\u00a0144 bulk carriers, 136 product tankers, 79 crude tankers, 64 container ships, 40 LNG and LPG carriers,\u00a0and\u00a033 chemical tankers.<\/p>\n In contrast to the modest decline in vessel count,\u00a0dark activity surged to 148 events, marking a significant increase compared to the previous day.<\/p>\n This divergence points to a clear shift in behavior. While overall traffic is easing, vessels are increasing reliance on concealment and deceptive shipping practices, adjusting to sustained enforcement pressure rather than reducing activity outright.<\/p>\n Blockade impact on dark vessel behavior<\/p>\n Dark vessel positioning around Bandar Abbas and the Larak Island chokepoint provides a clearer view of how the blockade is shaping movement patterns.<\/a><\/p>\n At\u00a0Bandar Abbas, dark vessel concentration remains elevated. Multi-source detection shows a\u00a0dense cluster of tankers and bulkers anchored in the deepwater channel between the mainland (Bandar Abbas \/ Shahid Rajaee) and Qeshm Island.\u00a0Additional clusters are positioned along the Qeshm shoreline, with a thinner spread extending\u00a0east toward the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n![\"Windward:](\"https:\/\/safety4sea.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/windward-transits-28-april.avif\")
<\/a>Inbound and outbound transits through the Strait of Hormuz, April 28, 2026. Source: Windward Maritime AI\u2122 Platform.<\/p>\n
![\"Windward:](\"https:\/\/safety4sea.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/windward-dark-vessels.avif\")
<\/a>This spatial pattern is consistent across multiple collections and reflects\u00a0sustained loitering rather than active transit. The area continues to function as a\u00a0dual-use anchorage, supporting both\u00a0commercial staging and IRGC-N co-located activity under constrained conditions.<\/p>\n