Iran announced on Monday that its negotiations with the Sultanate of Oman regarding the establishment of a safe and temporary shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz have entered their final stages, anticipating an agreement in the coming days.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei said during his weekly press conference in Tehran that the talks saw “very good progress.”
He expressed hope that “third parties” would not interfere to obstruct the agreement.
The anticipated agreement aims to “organize a safe and temporary route for commercial vessels through the strait,” the spokesperson explained, noting the possibility of registering the agreement with the International Maritime Organization.
Data shows less ships transiting
Shipping data released on Monday showed that the daily average of commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz was 10 over the past 10 days – the lowest level since May – following US and Iranian attacks on tankers.
Data from analytics platform Kpler indicated that the 10-day moving average was 10 vessels on Sunday, compared to more than 15 on Friday and around 13 on Saturday.
Only two ships transited the strait on Saturday, while six passed through on Sunday, most of them via the Iranian route.
The data further showed that a very large crude carrier (VLCC) and three bulk carriers loaded with minerals, grain, or oilseeds entered the strait on Sunday.
Data from the London Stock Exchange Group indicated that a tanker carrying refined petroleum products, loaded at a Saudi port, attempted to leave the strait but was forced to turn back.
The Kpler data also showed that no VLCCs have left the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
