SINGAPORE, Aug 19 (Alliance News): Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed on Wednesday as most shipowners continued to avoid the key waterway amid uncertainty over its reopening following a blockade during the Iran war. Kpler data showed that six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday by 0258 GMT, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily average of 11. Inbound traffic included an empty very large crude carrier that travelled along the Omani side of the strait, along with two tankers, while two medium-range fuel tankers and a post-Panamax vessel exited the waterway. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no talks were taking place with Iran and insisted the Strait of Hormuz was open, contradicting Iran’s position that the waterway remained closed to shipping. The strait handled around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war. Security concerns have also affected regional oil transportation, with two major Chinese shipping companies keeping their tankers away from the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb since late July, according to tanker tracker Vortexa and a ship broker. Meanwhile, traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea increased, with Kpler recording 30 weekend transits by commodity vessels, compared with 19 the previous week. No Saudi oil shipments were tracked during the period.
