Trackable Strait of Hormuz weekend traffic falls to 17 vessels

Trackable vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply reduced over the weekend, according to shipping data reported by Reuters on September 21. The report said 17 commodity vessels made the transit, compared with 37 a week earlier. Reuters cited provisional Kpler data and noted that visible traffic does not capture every tanker because some ships are travelling with transponders switched off. Before the current conflict, the strait typically handled far more large commercial vessels each day and served as a major route for oil and liquefied natural gas exports. The latest figures therefore measure visible shipping activity rather than the full volume of energy moving through the route. Saudi and other regional producers continue to export crude, while shipping patterns remain affected by security risks and changes to alternative transport routes. Freight conditions and energy flows may shift quickly if regional tensions change.