Fewer than 20 cargo ships cross Strait of Hormuz despite Trump saying it is open

Shipping data on Monday showed that fewer than 20 cargo ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz at the start of this week, amid restrictions on shipping through the vital energy route.

Preliminary data from ship-tracking company Kpler, issued at 02:28 GMT, showed that four ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 on Saturday. The figures may be revised later, as some vessels switch off their transponders while passing through the strait, according to Reuters.

The data compared with 16 vessels that crossed the strait on Friday. Two giant crude oil tankers entered the Gulf empty with their tracking systems switched off, one bound for Iraq and the other for Bahrain.

US officials said on Saturday that 16 million barrels of oil had been transported through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday night, as the number of vessels passing through the waterway increased after US President Donald Trump said the United States had full control of the strait.

The data also showed that eight giant gas carriers crossed the strait over the past three days. Six entered the Gulf empty, while two left the Gulf carrying liquefied petroleum gas from Iran.