Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz bounced back on Monday after a weekend slowdown prompted by a flare-up in strikes between Iran and the United States.
According to data from Kpler, a maritime tracking firm, 40 ships transited the waterway, up from 24 the previous day and 39 on Saturday.
Vessels started moving in larger numbers last week after the United States and Iran agreed to a cease-fire and a 60-day period of negotiations on a deal to end the war. Last Wednesday, 76 ships moved through the strait, a critical route for oil and gas shipments, the most since March 1.
Hundreds of vessels have been stranded in the Persian Gulf since Iran effectively blockaded the waterway after the United States and Israel attacked it in late February. Iran has insisted that ships now use a route near its coastline to go through the strait. While many vessels have complied, others have been transiting along an alternate route near the coastline of Oman, often with help from the U.S. military.
The ships passing through the strait on Monday were roughly split between the Omani route, which has mainly been used to travel from west to east, and the Iranian route, which has primarily been a route for ships going from east to west. But many ships switch off their transponders before passing through the strait, making it difficult to identify the details of the route that they have taken and giving a partial picture of traffic volumes.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators are expected to arrive in Qatar on Tuesday for a new round of talks. The two countries remain far apart on important issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
