SINGAPORE, Aug 27 (Reuters) – Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz saw a slight increase despite ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. The situation is also being monitored as Iran and Oman discuss matters related to the waterway, according to data released on Thursday.
On Wednesday, there were 10 visible commodity vessels transiting through Hormuz, up from eight on Tuesday. However, this number is still below the 10-day average, which is around 15 vessels.
Recently, two medium-range fuel tankers, one liquefied petroleum gas carrier, one Panamax-sized tanker, and three handymax-sized tankers entered the strait from the Gulf of Oman.
In addition, one medium-range fuel tanker, one bitumen tanker, and one bulk carrier left the waterway heading back to the Gulf.
A senior Iranian official mentioned on Wednesday that Iran and Oman are finalizing details of an agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards stated that the two nations had come to an agreement on how to share the waterway and its associated revenues.
Meanwhile, traffic in the Bab el-Mandeb strait has slowed for the second consecutive day.
On Wednesday, 19 commodity vessels passed through Bab el-Mandeb, including six tankers like a very large crude carrier, a decline from 24 vessels the day before, according to Kpler data.
It is also possible that some vessels are traveling through these key waterways with their transponders turned off, which could lead to underreporting in the counts.