Strait of Hormuz Commodity Vessel Transits at Three-Month Low

Just two tankers transited the key energy chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, for the lowest daily tally of commodity vessels since early May, with both entering the Gulf, shipping data showed.

The figure was also well below the 10-day average of 14, with one very large gas carrier and one very large crude carrier entering the strait from the Gulf of Oman, according to shiptracker Kpler by 0657 GMT on Tuesday.

While down from Sunday's tally of seven vessels of all types, the figures could change, as some ships had switched off navigation transponders on their way through.

Separate provisional data from shiptracker Vortexa showed that Monday oil transits at 5 million barrels per day. On a seven-day moving average, Hormuz transits stand at around 6 million to 7 million bpd by August 23.

Iran said it had blacklisted 45 tankers for violating its rules on passage through the strait, threatening action against vessels engaging in ship-to-ship transfers with them, escalating pressure over the key waterway six months into the Iran war.

"It remains to be seen how Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority can enforce compliance by such 'non-compliant' vessels," said Xavier Tang, a senior market analyst