Hormuz traffic picks up as supertankers sail into Persian Gulf

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz picked up for the first time since Iran’s recent attacks on ships in the waterway, with more operators sending crude tankers into the Persian Gulf.

Around 24 commodity ships including tankers that transport oil and liquefied natural gas, as well as bulk carriers, transited the strait in both directions on Monday, according to data from Kpler. Vessel movements through the waterway had dropped off after the initial attack on a container ship on Thursday.

Tankers operated by private companies dominated those sailing to the Persian Gulf, while a Saudi Arabian-flagged supertanker re-appeared in the gulf after pushing through the strait with its transponder off. Taken together, the vessels can hold as much as 9 million barrels of crude, and their movements point to increasing confidence by shipowners to transit the waterway.

The US conducted fresh strikes on Iran after the ship attacks, before both sides agreed to halt hostilities ahead of peace talks this week. Shipowners, traders and global investors have been tracking the re-entry of tankers into the gulf, which would be crucial for regional producers to restart output.

Among those entering the Persian Gulf, three supertankers operated by South Korea’s Sinokor sailed in empty, while openly signaling they were moving along Oman’s coast. A Marshall Islands-flagged Suezmax owned by a Greek operator also signaled from within the gulf, after previously broadcasting its location in the Gulf of Oman on June 27, suggesting it crossed with its transponder off.

The Nisalah, a very large crude tanker controlled by the National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia, known as Bahri, made an inbound transit. The empty supertanker is currently off Ras Tanura, home to the largest Saudi refinery.

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