Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz recorded a modest increase on Wednesday, although activity remained below its recent average amid continuing geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran.
Data from Kpler showed that 10 visible commodity vessels transited the strategic waterway, compared with eight on Tuesday. The latest count was still lower than the 10-day moving average of approximately 15 vessels.
Seven vessels entered the strait from the Gulf of Oman. These comprised two medium-range fuel tankers, one liquefied petroleum gas carrier, a Panamax-sized tanker and three handymax-sized tankers.
Three vessels travelled in the opposite direction, exiting the waterway from the Gulf. They included a medium-range fuel tanker, a bitumen tanker and a bulk carrier.
The traffic figures came as the shipping market continued to monitor discussions between Iran and Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz. A senior Iranian source said on Wednesday that the two countries were still working on the details of an agreement covering the waterway. The statement followed an announcement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that Iran and Oman had agreed on arrangements for sharing the strait and its revenue.
Activity also weakened at the Bab el-Mandeb strait, another major maritime chokepoint. Kpler recorded 19 commodity vessel passages there on Wednesday, down from 24 on the previous day and marking a second consecutive day of slower traffic.
Six tankers were among the vessels that exited through Bab el-Mandeb, including one very large crude carrier.
The available figures reflect vessels visible through tracking systems and may not capture all traffic. Some ships operating around the two waterways may have switched off their transponders, meaning their movements could have been omitted from the recorded totals.
Both sets of data indicate that commercial shipping continued to use the strategic passages, but vessel counts remained sensitive to regional developments and negotiations affecting navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Strait of Hormuz Shipping Traffic Edges Higher but Remains Below Recent Average
Visible commodity vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz increased to 10 on Wednesday from eight a day earlier, according to Kpler data, but remained below the 10-day moving average of about 15 vessels.
