SINGAPORE, June 22 (Reuters) – The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly on Sunday after Iran announced that it had closed the waterway again due to violations of the interim peace d...
SINGAPORE, June 22 (Reuters) – The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly on Sunday after Iran announced that it had closed the waterway again due to violations of the interim peace deal by Israel and the U.S., according to shipping data.
Only five vessels crossed the strait on Sunday, down from 26 the day before, as reported by the analytics firm Kpler. This group included three Very Large Crude Carriers that were transporting 2 million barrels each of Saudi crude oil and fuel, with one ship designated for Japan. It's worth noting that the data might not include vessels that turn off their transponders while moving through the Gulf.
Last week, Iran had lifted its effective blockade of the strait after reaching an agreement with the U.S. to extend a ceasefire from April for 60 days to facilitate peace talks. However, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran announced on Saturday that the waterway was closed again following Israeli strikes in Lebanon. The U.S. military confirmed that commercial vessels were still operating in the area.
On Saturday, six ships exited the strait, including three VLCCs carrying crude from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq, along with three tankers transporting different oil products, according to the data.
On Saturday, a total of 13 ships entered the strait, which included two VLCCs.
Gulf producers, such as Abu Dhabi National Oil Co and Kuwait Petroleum Corp, have released tenders for crude oil sales, allowing for loading from both inside and outside the Strait of Hormuz.