WANA (Aug 15) – Contrary to U.S. claims regarding the uninterrupted flow of oil through the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz hosted only two non-oil vessels on Friday.

 

According to an analysis released on Saturday by maritime tracking firm Kpler, only two ships transited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, with no crude oil shipments observed among them.

 

This near-total halt in transit through the strategic waterway comes despite statements from the U.S. Energy Secretary last Tuesday claiming that oil flows from the Persian Gulf had returned to normal levels.

 

On Thursday, August 13, only nine vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz, remaining significantly below the daily average of 12 transits recorded earlier this month.

 

Over the past two days, the United Arab Emirates reported that three vessels belonging to its national oil company were targeted while attempting to cross the strait. Following these security escalations, oil prices surged by 2% on Friday night, reaching $88.52 per barrel.