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Strait of Hormuz tanker crossings fall further amid U.S.-Iran tensions
Kpler data showed Wednesday crossings fell to five and Thursday to nine, versus a monthly average of 12, while U.S. officials threatened an indefinite naval blockade and additional sanctions.
Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz declined again amid the U.S.-Iran standoff, with Kpler data cited by Reuters showing only five crossings on Wednesday and nine on Thursday, compared with a monthly average of 12.
According to the same Kpler figures, five tankers entered the waterway and four exited, most of them moving along the Iranian corridor. Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait in the Red Sea remained in the double digits, with 19 commodity carriers passing on Thursday, Reuters reported.
Reuters noted the data covers only vessels with their transponders switched on. Meanwhile, the United States threatened to extend its naval blockade of Iran indefinitely and add more sanctions, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling media the blockade can be maintained by rotating ships and that additional measures were expected next week.
Despite the escalation in maritime and economic pressure, oil prices did not move in line with the latest tension, with traders instead focused on a weekly U.S. commercial inventory increase of more than 17.4 million barrels, the outlet said. Reuters also pointed to depleting global inventories, including those tied to major releases.