Singapore, June 30 (SANA) Oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers in the Middle East continue to ship cargoes despite renewed attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and an escalation in military exchanges between the United States and Iran, according to shipping data.
Data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), cited by Reuters on Monday, showed that a fourth very large crude carrier (VLCC), capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, was loading at Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil terminal despite the crash of an Aramco helicopter on Sunday.
Three other VLCCs loaded crude at the terminal over the weekend before switching off their automatic identification systems (AIS) after departure, according to the data.
One of those tankers reappeared on Monday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz and was heading for Japan. Two other VLCCs entered the strait on Sunday and berthed at a port in the United Arab Emirates to load crude oil.
Ship-tracking firm Kpler said two refined petroleum product tankers and a smaller fuel tanker also transited the Strait of Hormuz, although overall vessel traffic through the waterway declined from the previous week.
According to Kpler, tanker traffic reached its highest level since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli-Iran conflict in late February, with 29 tankers transiting the strait on June 24. Even so, shipping volumes remain well below pre-conflict levels, when about 125 vessels passed through the strategic waterway each day.
The United States and Iran agreed on Sunday to halt attacks against each other and are scheduled to hold talks in Doha on Tuesday.
Earlier on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his warnings to Iran after U.S. forces carried out air strikes on Iranian missile storage sites, drone facilities and coastal radar installations, which Washington said were in response to Tehran’s violation of the ceasefire.
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