Windward Daily Brief March 6: 35 Hormuz Crossings in 4 Days, LPG Exports Fall
Monday, March 9, 2026
Windward is publishing daily intelligence reports on the crisis in the Gulf as the situation develops.
The highlights of today's report are as follows:
Operation Epic Fury triggered immediate disruption across maritime chokepoints in the Gulf.
Commercial tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed as strikes, threats, and insurance withdrawal drove operators out of the corridor.
At least eight commercial vessels have been struck since the start of the conflict across the Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and nearby waters, including a missile incident near Khasab involving a salvage tug.
More than 1,100 vessels experienced GPS and AIS interference, degrading navigational reliability across the region.
Cape of Good Hope diversion traffic surged as operators rerouted around Gulf transit routes while Red Sea and Suez activity fluctuated.
Port disruption indicators began rising across major Gulf hubs, including Jebel Ali and Khalifa.
Energy markets began showing supply stress as Gulf oil cargo departures dropped sharply and shadow fleet activity continued, including a semi-dark STS transfer by the sanctioned tanker M/V TRUST.
The maritime conflict expanded geographically after a U.S. submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka, extending risk into the Indian Ocean and exposing major importers such as India to supply disruption.
Spoofing activity that was previously more limited around Bandar Abbas and parts of the southwest UAE has expanded and become increasingly concentrated near Fujairah.
LPG departures from Gulf terminals fell from 824,000 barrels on Feb 28 to zero by March 5.