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Tanker traffic through Strait of Hormuz hits five-week low
Only six tankers were tracked transiting Sunday, and no LNG tanker was visible on tracking systems as U.S.-Iran tensions escalated.
Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to the lowest level in five weeks on Sunday, as concerns resurfaced about safety at the key oil and LNG chokepoint, OilPrice reported. After a third wave of U.S. strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliation that targeted U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Jordan, Kpler data cited by Reuters showed only six tankers tracked to have transited the strait.
Reuters also cited Kpler data indicating that early Monday reports pointed to no ships attempting to move through the Strait of Hormuz, at least none visible on automatic identification system, or AIS, tracking. The Sunday transits included a supertanker carrying Iranian oil, a tanker moving oil products from Kuwait, and three empty tankers inbound to the Persian Gulf to load oil from export ports.
OilPrice said oil and LNG tankers have increasingly switched off transponders during transits, with operators opting to move through unobserved amid the escalation in the region. The outlet added that no LNG tanker was visible on tracking systems transiting the strait this weekend, based on Kpler’s data.