Vessels Trickle Through Strait of Hormuz as Middle East Conflict Persists

A trickle of vessels has been making its way through the Strait of Hormuz as tensions in the Middle East persist. The strait, which is responsible for a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, typically handles around 125 large commercial vessels per day. However, since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, this number has dwindled significantly.

According to provisional data from analytics firm Kpler, only a dozen commodity vessels transited the strait over the weekend, down from 35 the prior weekend. Among these trackable ships, four vessels exited the strait on Sunday, while another two small-sized oil tankers entered the Gulf.

The attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Aramco's East-West pipeline have prompted the state energy firm to increase exports through the Strait of Hormuz this month and next. As a result, Saudi crude exports are rising, with over 4 million barrels per day being exported so far in September after slumping to 2.4 million bpd in August.