SINGAPORE/TOKYO: Liquefied natural gas tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, and 22 Japan-linked vessels have left the Gulf since Tuesday, but overall daily traffic has slowed as tensions flare in the Middle East.
Shipping companies and governments are monitoring the Strait of Hormuz following Iranian attacks this week on commercial vessels and U.S. retaliatory strikes on Iran.
Data from Kpler and LSEG showed at least five ballast LNG tankers without cargo have entered the strait in recent days.
They include GasLog Shanghai, controlled by Greek shipping company GasLog, and QatarEnergy-linked carriers Al Samriya, Al Dafna, Al Gattara and Al Rayyan.
The GasLog Shanghai and Al Rayyan likely moved into the strait overnight, having been seen outside the waterway on July 9, the data showed.
The other three QatarEnergy-linked vessels were last seen outside the Strait of Hormuz, off the west coast of India several weeks ago, with Al Samriya and Al Gattara last seen around June 18 to 19 and Al Dafna on June 29.
QatarEnergy and GasLog did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.
On Thursday, the Very Large Crude Carrier Nissos Kea entered the strait, while the VLCC Lila Vadinar left it.
"What's different now, compared to the start of the conflict, is that Iran is striking vessels using the Omani route rather than targeting all vessels, which means vessels will increasingly turn towards the Iranian route or transit dark when transiting through the strait," said Xavier Tang, a senior market analyst at Vortexa.
DIFFICULTY OF TRACKING VESSELS
Shipping industry sources said vessels were increasingly switching off their public AIS tracking transponders, making it hard to see all of the ships crossing.
Kpler analysis of ships that can be monitored found LNG and oil tanker traffic dropped to its lowest daily level since June 28 on Thursday when 10 ships went through versus 14 on Wednesday and 22 on Monday.
Daily traffic in the last two weeks had risen to its highest since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began the Iran war at the end of February, averaging 40 ships transiting the strait. That was still far off the pre-conflict average of 125 to 140 daily sailings.
Some war insurers this week advised ship owners to pause voyages after the attacks on tankers, prompting war insurance rates to rise.
"Rates have risen again following attacks on shipping by Iran in the region and it is unlikely that they will come back down until the market genuinely believes that the risk environment has changed," said Marcus Baker, global head of marine with insurance broker and risk management group Marsh.
FOUR JAPAN-LINKED VESSELS REMAIN IN GULF
Twenty-two Japan-linked vessels, including six large crude oil tankers, transited the strait to exit between July 7 and 9, leaving only four vessels in the Gulf, Japanese transport minister Yasushi Kaneko told a news conference on Friday.
Asked how vessel safety had been ensured, an official at the transport ministry's overseas shipping division declined to comment, citing security reasons.
The number of Japan-linked vessels in the Gulf has dropped from 45 with about 1,100 crew members at the start of the conflict to four vessels with about 100 crew members, according to a spokesperson for the Japanese Shipowners' Association.
