According to Lloyd's List, a leading UK-based maritime trade publication, ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has increased significantly over the past week. The increase has been driven by a surge in Iran-related trade, despite the continued presence of US sanctions. The report said at least 54 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the week from May 11 to May 17. This is more than double the 25 ships in the previous week, which has seen a sharp increase in maritime trade. The increase is mainly due to a surge in Iran-related trade, particularly in oil, gas and other cargo. According to data from London-based maritime analytics firm Windward, 19 ships passed through the strait on Monday alone. Of these, nine were entering and 10 were leaving. The ships entering were mainly cargo ships flying the flags of countries including India and Sri Lanka. The ships that left included an oil tanker and nine cargo ships, five of which were Iranian-flagged.