Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have doubled in less than a month even as the strategic waterway faces renewed security risks, TankerTrackers.com said in an X post on Wednesday.
Total crude oil egress through what TankerTrackers calls the US Navy Blockade line, situated at the border of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, has risen to about 13 million barrels per day. Of this, estimated flows through the Hormuz stand at 10.35 million b/d. The tracking firm said Fujairah in the UAE and Mina al-Fahal in Oman together account for about 2.65 million b/d of the total.
The increase is partly linked to Saudi Arabia redirecting crude exports eastward after disruptions to its pipeline infrastructure. Daytime tanker movements through the Strait have also increased under additional protection from US Central Command. As of Sept. 23, Centcom has redirected 115 commercial vessels to enforce as part of its naval blockade on Iranian ports, US Centcom posted on X on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the higher flows come as shipping risks in the waterway remain elevated. The UK Maritime Trade Operations said on Wednesday it had received a report that a cargo vessel in the Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile.
The vessel caught fire and was left adrift, and all crew members were evacuated, with two casualties reported, UKMTO said. Authorities were investigating the incident.