Shipping data reveals see-saw situation in Strait of Hormuz
Data from analytics firm Kpler showed five ships passed the strait on Sunday, down from 26 detected the day before. These included three Very Large Crude Carriers, one of which was bound for Japan, each carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude oil and fuel oil.
The data may not include ships that turn off their transponders while traveling in the Gulf.
Iran lifted a de facto blockade of the strait last week after agreeing to extend the April ceasefire by 60 days to allow peace talks with the United States, but Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared a new closure of the waterway on Saturday in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
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The US military said commercial ships were still operating.
Data showed that three of the ships that emerged from the strait on Saturday were VLCCs carrying crude oil from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq, as well as three tankers carrying various petroleum products. Also read | India’s airports could turn into global transit hubs, eyeing Gulf rivalry
Data showed that a total of 13 ships, including two VLCCs, entered the strait on Saturday. Gulf producers Abu Dhabi National Oil Co and Kuwait Oil Company have held tenders for the sale of crude oil with the option of loading from inside and outside the Strait of Hormuz.
