LONDON, October 8. /TASS/. Commercial vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest level since July 23 early this week amid a new wave of escalating attacks on tankers, Reuters reported, citing data from analytics firm Kpler.
On Tuesday, only seven commercial vessels passed through the strait. Average daily oil transit figures in late September dropped by 27% from the month's peak levels, settling at around 10 million barrels per day. This volume represents approximately 74% of the shipping levels recorded prior to the launch of the US and Israeli military operation against Iran in late February this year.
Kpler analysts noted that some tankers continue to navigate the Strait of Hormuz with their transponders turned off. Furthermore, oil exports from the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman coasts have more than doubled during the conflict, reaching 6.7 million barrels per day, largely making up for the losses from reduced transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, on the night of July 8, the US resumed its large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
