The creation of a US-secured corridor in the Strait of Hormuz has significantly boosted the flow of oil through the strategic waterway, an AFP analysis of industry data shows.
US President Donald Trump said in mid-August that a “tremendous amount of oil” was being shipped out of the vital waterway, although data from shipping trackers Kpler and Lloyd’s List Intelligence show that volumes are still around half the levels seen before the war.
Approximately 330 million barrels of oil aboard vessels assessed by AFP, using Lloyd’s criteria, as not linked to Iran have exited Hormuz since July 8, equivalent to around 4.9 million bpd.
But that figure rose steadily through August and September, reaching an average of almost 8 million bpd during the seven days to September 7. More than 14 million barrels were shipped out on September 7 alone.
By comparison, around 18 million bpd crossed during peacetime, 1.4 million bpd during the first phase of the war when restrictions were first imposed, and 9.4 million bpd during talks when restrictions were lifted.
