Shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz slowed on Tuesday as uncertainty over the strategic waterway’s operating status continued to influence shipowner decisions.

Kpler data available by 0258 GMT showed that six commodity vessels crossed the strait, compared with nine a day earlier. The latest count was also below the 10-day daily average of 11 vessels.

Inbound movements comprised an empty very large crude carrier that travelled along the Omani side of the strait, together with one medium-range tanker and one intermediate tanker. Outbound traffic included two medium-range fuel tankers and a post-Panamax vessel.

The reduced activity came amid conflicting statements about whether the strait had reopened following a blockade during the Iran war. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the waterway was open and that no talks were under way with Iran. Iran, however, maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remained closed to shipping.

Most shipowners continued to avoid the route in the absence of clear signals regarding its reopening. The strait’s importance to global energy transportation remains substantial, as it handled about one-fifth of worldwide crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war.

Security concerns have also affected oil transportation to China. Two major Chinese shipping companies that carried half of the country’s Middle Eastern oil imports before the conflict have kept their tankers away from both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb since late July, according to tanker tracker Vortexa and a ship broker.

At Bab el-Mandeb, a separate strategic passage connecting the Red Sea with waters to the south, commodity vessel traffic increased over the weekend. Kpler recorded 30 transits, up from 19 during the previous week.

The increase followed the declaration of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthis on July 20. Despite the higher overall number of commodity vessel movements through Bab el-Mandeb, no Saudi oil shipments were tracked in the available data.

The figures underline the continued caution across two key maritime energy corridors, with vessel movements shaped by security risks, blockade declarations and uncertainty over access conditions.