Only three commodity vessels transit Strait of Hormuz as traffic plunges

Only three commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on September 22, down from four a day earlier and well below the 10-day average of about 15 vessels, preliminary shipping data showed on September 23.

The figures could change, as some vessels typically switch off their transponders while sailing through the waterway, Reuters reports. 

According to ship-tracking company Kpler, all three vessels, including one Panamax tanker, were travelling out of the strait as of 0200 GMT.

Meanwhile, the liquefied natural gas tanker Al Mafyar reappeared inside the strait on Tuesday after last being recorded outside the waterway on September 19, according to Kpler and LSEG data.

The Strait of Hormuz accounted for around one-fifth of global oil and gas flows before the US-Iran conflict.

US President Donald Trump said on September 22 that he could annihilate Iran if no agreement is reached to end the war, while also suggesting that a deal could be reached soon amid diplomatic efforts at the United Nations.

Shipping activity was also below normal at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another major maritime chokepoint at the southwestern tip of Yemen and an important route for oil shipments between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

A total of 22 commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb on September 22, including 14 heading towards the Red Sea and eight travelling towards the Gulf of Aden.

The vessels included five Panamax tankers, six Supramax vessels, four Aframax tankers, one Suezmax tanker and one very large crude carrier.

The figure compared with a 10-day average of around 26 vessels using the strait.

By Sabina Mammadli