Tanker Data Contradicts US Claims on Normalized Middle East Oil Flows
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright claimed on Tuesday that Middle East oil flows have normalized following coordinated efforts between the US military and Gulf allies.
In a post on X, Wright stated that the seven-day average for oil leaving the Strait of Hormuz is currently at almost 9 million barrels per day, with an additional 5-7 million barrels per day being transported via newly upgraded pipelines and export facilities.
He also claimed that Sunday's traffic alone was above pre-conflict averages, with over 20 million barrels left the Arabian Gulf region. However, analysts and tanker traffic monitoring services have questioned these numbers, citing severe constraints on Strait of Hormuz transits, even according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Kpler data showed that vessel traffic at the Strait of Hormuz continues to decline, with only six commodity vessels transiting in either direction last Monday. This is down from 11 ships in the latest 10-day average.