Oil exports through Strait of Hormuz steady this week, data shows

Preliminary ship-tracking data from Kpler on Friday showed that crude oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz reached 33.7 million barrels since Sunday, indicating exports are running close to last week’s pace.

According to the data, 19 tankers transited the strait, including 17 very large crude carriers (VLCCs) each capable of carrying two million barrels. Most of the shipments were Saudi crude, followed by Iraqi exports.

Kpler’s figures showed that 49.2 million barrels of crude oil exited the Strait of Hormuz over the entire previous week.

A US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity, that around 60 commercial vessels of various sizes passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, carrying the largest daily volume of oil since early July.

Saudi Aramco increased its exports through the strait after shipments from the Red Sea port of Yanbu were halted following attacks on the East-West pipeline earlier this month.

Kpler data on Friday showed that the number of cargo ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday dropped to nine from 14 the previous day. However, an unknown number of vessels are sailing through the strait with their transponders turned off and are therefore not counted.

Of the nine ships, eight exited the strait and one entered. The 10-day average for vessel transits is 18, according to Kpler.

Before the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28, the strait typically saw about 125 large commercial vessels pass daily, including oil and gas tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships, accounting for roughly 20 percent of global daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.