About 40 ships coordinated US protection in Hormuz, official says

About 40 commercial vessels coordinated with the US military for protection while passing through the Strait of Hormuz on 23 September, a US official told Reuters, as oil shipments continued through the waterway during the US–Iran war. [1]

The official, speaking anonymously on 24 September, said about 60 commercial vessels had passed through the strait the previous day. Roughly 22 million barrels of oil had left the waterway that day, the official added. [1]

Tracking figures show a lower count

Separate preliminary shiptracking data reported by Reuters recorded 14 transits on 23 September, substantially below the official's total. The tracking report focused on commodity ships, rather than commercial vessels generally, and excluded ships travelling with their transponders switched off. Those differences limit comparison between the two counts. [2]

The tracking tally fell to nine passages on 24 September: eight outbound and one inbound. That compared with a reported 10-day average of 18 transits a day. [2]

US-supported passages had been described before this week's figures. In an analysis published on 17 September, maritime analytics firm Kpler said most vessels then passing through Hormuz were doing so with US naval support. [3]

Kpler also said disruption to the Yanbu pipeline meant more Saudi crude needed to move by sea through Hormuz, adding to the importance of the route for the country's exports. [3]