Oil Tankers Continue Transit Through Strait of Hormuz After Interim Deal

Oil tankers carrying millions of barrels of crude have continued to transit the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, even after Iranian officials declared the waterway closed on Sunday. Bloomberg reported that five laden tankers with a combined 8 million barrels were observed entering or moving through the southern part of the strait near Oman's coast before switching off their transponders.

One tanker later reappeared in the Gulf of Oman.

Maritime tracking firm Kpler recorded 71 confirmed transits between June 19 and 21, with a peak of 35 crossings on June 20. Windward tracked 25 vessel transits in the 12 hours before its June 22 update, including 10 inbound and 15 outbound. U.S. military officials stated on Saturday that 55 merchant ships had transited the strait that day, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil.

Several India-linked tankers carrying roughly 6 million barrels of Iraqi and Kuwaiti crude appeared to use the northern route near Qeshm Island. Four liquefied natural gas tankers owned or chartered by Qatar also passed through as Qatar's Ras Laffan export plant resumed operations.

Three U.S.-sanctioned Iranian supertankers named Elva, Virgo, and Vigor entered the strait earlier Monday, heading toward Singapore for later ship-to-ship transfers to China.

The increased traffic follows an interim memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran signed earlier last week. U.S. and Iranian negotiators, with support from Qatar and Pakistan, held technical talks that produced early progress, though officials described the path to a permanent agreement as fragile.

Brent crude futures traded near $79 per barrel and WTI futures near $75 per barrel early Monday.