Hormuz oil tanker traffic persists along Oman route as conflict escalates

(Bloomberg) – At least two oil supertankers, both controlled by the same company, appeared to cross the Strait of Hormuz on a U.S. protected route through the waterway, despite conflict reigniting in the region this week.

The Nissos Kea popped up inside the Persian Gulf several hours after its Automatic Identification System signal stopped when it approaching the waterway while the Nissos Heraclea made the opposite move, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show.

The two very large crude carriers are run by Piraeus, Greece-based Kyklades Maritime Corp. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The level of observable oil tanker traffic through the strait has slowed in the past 24 hours, after the U.S. and Iran traded missile and drone strikes while an interim peace deal teeters on the edge of collapse. A growing number of tankers had been shuttling through Hormuz ‘dark,’ prior to the renewed hostilities and it’s unclear what impact the latest flare up has had.

Both tankers appear to be engaged in ferrying crude from Qatar, with one loading at the Al Shaheen field and the other appearing to be heading in the direction of Halul Island, the tracking data show. Neither ship broadcast a destination while in the Persian Gulf, although both kept their transponders on for much of their time in the region.

Partial position data from the inbound Greek ship as it crossed Hormuz suggest that it most likely used the southern route through the waterway, hugging the Omani coastline. The outbound carrier was also relatively close to the Oman side before it was going into Hormuz. 

Separately, the US dismissed Iranian claims that only Tehran-designated routes are permitted. 

In a post on social media late Thursday, Central Command said that U.S. forces had helped to facilitate the transit of 380 MMbbl since early May. A start date of May 1 would imply a flow rate of 5.4 MMbpd. Adding Iranian flows would take the figure to well over 6 MMbpd. 

Several ships using the Omani route in recent days have come under attack from Iran, with Tehran seeking to limit traffic to a northerly route passing through its waters.

The only supertanker observed taking that path through the strait in the past 24 hours had previously loaded its cargo at Iran’s own Kharg Island terminal in the northern Persian Gulf. It is the most recent of a wave of Iran-linked supertankers seen heading toward Asia from Iran’s ports over the past several days.