The Zhitong Finance App learned that the latest data shows that shipping activity in the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Mande continues to be sluggish. According to data from shipping tracking agency Kpler, a total of 7 commodity carriers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, only half of the number the day before. The data shows that of these 7 ships, 4 entered the Strait of Hormuz and 3 left the waterway. Among the 7 ships mentioned above, there are no very large crude oil carriers (VLCCs) or liquefied natural gas carriers (LNG carriers). However, the data showed that a very large gas carrier — loaded with propane and butane — left the Strait of Hormuz via a route on the Iranian side.
Meanwhile, ship traffic in the Mander Strait on Thursday was slightly slower than the previous two days. According to Kpler data, a total of 23 commodity carriers passed through the Mander Strait on Thursday, compared to 34 ships every day for the previous two days. Of these, 16 entered the strait and 7 left. According to the data, of the 7 ships that left, 2 were Suez tankers, the “Stoic Warrior” and the “Dokos”, respectively. Both tankers are carrying crude oil, and the destinations are Vietnam and India, respectively. No oversized crude oil carriers or liquefied natural gas carriers passed through the Mander Strait on Thursday.
Note that if the ship switches off the transponder (transponder) to sail, it will not appear in the above data.
Currently, as the peace negotiations between the US and Iran are still at an impasse, market concerns about shipping risks in the Middle East continue to heat up. The memorandum of understanding previously reached between the US and Iran to push the two sides towards a permanent agreement expired on Monday. When the agreement expires, both the US and Iran sent tough signals, ruling out the possibility of extending the provisional agreement. US President Trump said on August 17 that Iran will not reach an agreement he believes is necessary to end the war between the US and Iran, adding that Iran “should surrender.” Iranian Foreign Minister Alagzi said, “There is simply no 60-day cease-fire period that needs to be extended.” Also, according to recent reports, an American official said that Trump has asked senior government envoys to suspend contacts with Iran.
Furthermore, Trump recently published an article stating that the US will take “the harshest economic action in history” on Iran and impose severe economic penalties on any country that provides Iran with “any kind of lifeline,” thereby stifling the Iranian economy. US Treasury Secretary Bezent said on August 20 that the Trump administration will increase pressure on Iran's economy and threaten to implement “unprecedented economic isolation” measures against Iran. Bessent also said that the Trump administration's plan to severely damage Iran's economy may make it unnecessary for the US to launch large-scale military action against Iran.
Some analysts pointed out that the US is demanding that the Strait of Hormuz return to the state it was before the outbreak of this round of conflict, but Iran is demanding that Iran's dominance over the strait must be acknowledged. This is something the US cannot accept. There is a fundamental conflict between the two sides in their respective claims to the Strait of Hormuz, so it is expected that the game between the two sides over the Strait will continue for a long time in the current state of no compromise.