Fewer than 20 ships cross Strait of Hormuz over weekend as US-Iran blockades choke key oil route

Fewer than 20 commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, shipping data showed on Monday, as Iranian and U.S. blockades continue to choke traffic through the world's most critical energy corridor.

Initial data from shiptracker Kpler showed just four vessels crossed the strait on Sunday, down from 13 on Saturday and Friday's tally of 16. The figures could still be revised upward, as some ships had switched off their transponders while transiting.

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On Friday, two empty very large crude carriers (VLCCs) entered the Gulf with their tracking devices switched off, one bound for Iraq, the other for Bahrain. A VLCC carrying 2 million barrels of Emirati crude had exited the strait on Thursday.

Eight very large gas carriers transited the strait over the past three days, with six entering empty and the remaining two exiting the Gulf loaded with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sourced from Iran.

Traffic near three-month lows

Overall volumes stayed suppressed through the week to August 21, with vessels either aborting transit plans altogether or rerouting through the strait's northern corridor following renewed attacks, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in its latest report.

A total of 89 vessels exited the strait while 103 entered over the seven-day period, AIS-based data in the report showed. "Traffic remains well below normal levels, with AIS-detected transits approximately 90% below pre-conflict baselines and declining since the June 24 to June 26 peak," UKMTO said.

Tankers continued to dominate movement through the chokepoint, accounting for 45% of total traffic. Of these, 56% carried crude oil, oil products or chemicals, while LPG carriers made up a further 24%.

Also read: 'Vessels violating Iranian protocols for Strait of Hormuz' shall face fines, detention, confiscation: Iran

Since July 6, UKMTO has logged 23 incidents of projectile strikes on vessels in the strait and its vicinity, causing bridge, engine-room and structural damage.

Bab el-Mandeb traffic also thins

A total of 24 commodity vessels sailed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sunday, down from 32 on Saturday, itself an increase from 22 on Friday, Kpler data showed.

Two VLCCs entered the Red Sea on Saturday, one carrying Iraqi Basrah crude, the other empty.