Singapore, Sept. 24 (SANA) Ten cargo vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, up by seven from the previous day but still below the 10-day moving average of around 17 vessels, preliminary data from vessel-tracking firm Kpler showed on Thursday.
Reuters reported that the figures could change because some vessels switch off their transponders while underway.
Gulf producers find alternative routes
Shipping through the Strait has remained well below prewar levels, prompting Gulf oil producers to use alternative pipelines and shipping routes to maintain exports.
Analysts cited by AP estimate that around 6 million to 7 million barrels of oil per day are now moving through a southern corridor in the Strait, compared with about 15 million barrels a day before the war. The United Arab Emirates has also used its pipeline to Fujairah to bypass Hormuz, while Saudi Arabia has relied on alternative routes.
The Strait is one of the world’s most important energy transit routes, carrying about a fifth of global oil and gas before the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Diplomatic efforts to restore shipping
Diplomatic efforts are also under way to increase traffic through the waterway.
French President Emmanuel Macron said after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in New York that several options had been discussed that could allow more container ships and tankers to transit the Strait without waiting for a broader agreement.
Macron also said France and the United States were taking joint action to promote freedom of navigation through Hormuz and ease pressure on energy markets.
France has begun drafting a U.N. Security Council resolution in coordination with the United States aimed at establishing an international mission to restore movement through the Strait, according to diplomats cited in media reports.
Preliminary Kpler data released on Wednesday showed that three commodity vessels crossed the Strait on Tuesday, down from four a day earlier and below the then 10-day moving average of about 15 vessels. All three were exiting the Strait, including one Panamax tanker.
T.S /M.F
