Singapore, Sept. 23 (SANA) Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply below recent levels on Tuesday, while traffic through Bab al-Mandab also stayed below its 10-day average, preliminary shipping data showed Wednesday.
Three commodity-carrying vessels crossed Hormuz, down from four a day earlier and well below the 10-day average of about 15, according to data from ship-tracking firm Kpler cited by Reuters.
At Bab al-Mandab, 22 commodity-carrying vessels crossed the waterway, compared with a 10-day average of about 26. Fourteen headed toward the Red Sea and eight toward the Gulf of Aden.
The figures come as uncertainty persists over the prospect of reopening Hormuz more fully after months of disruption to one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
Iran reopening reports move oil markets
Reuters and Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported, citing a senior Iranian official, that Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States eased military pressure and lifted its blockade on Iranian ports.
The official cited by Reuters said Iran’s delegation attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York had full authority to revive diplomacy with Washington and that Tehran had submitted a proposal through mediators on Sept. 16.
However, another senior Iranian government official told MS Now, CNBC’s Versant Media partner, that the Reuters and Kyodo reports were not true.
The reports affected energy markets, with oil prices reversing earlier gains. Brent crude futures were down 2.6% at $97.73 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 3.1% to $92.40.
Kpler and the London Stock Exchange Group also showed the liquefied natural gas carrier Al-Mufair reappearing inside the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday after it was last seen outside the waterway on Sept. 19.
Bab al-Mandab traffic remains subdued
The vessels crossing Bab al-Mandab included five Panamax vessels, six Supramax vessels, four Aframax vessels, one Suezmax vessel and one very large crude carrier.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, called for urgent protection of seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz as disruption to maritime traffic continues.
Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Abdulmohsen bin Khothaila, delivering a joint statement on behalf of a group of countries at the U.N. Human Rights Council, said some seafarers were having difficulty accessing food, drinking water, fuel, medicine and medical care.
The statement also cited casualties and injuries among crew members following attacks on civilian vessels and called on states to protect seafarers. It said protecting crews was closely linked to ensuring safe and unimpeded maritime navigation in accordance with international law.
U.S. President Donald Trump said at the U.N. General Assembly that the U.S. Navy had escorted more than 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran’s blockade of maritime traffic, adding that oil flows through the waterway had increased since the start of the war.
Before the Middle East war began on Feb. 28, about 125 large commercial vessels typically passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day, including oil and gas tankers, bulk carriers and container ships. The strategic waterway normally handles around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
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