Kpler data shows 89 of 112 Hormuz oil and gas tankers used unclassified routes
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Kpler data shows 89 of 112 crude, LPG and LNG vessels that transited the Strait of Hormuz between August 1 and 19 used dark or unclassified routes, more than 80 percent. Only 21 vessels openly used the Iranian route and only two formally used the Omani route, leaving route choices for most traffic unclear. The split comes as President Donald Trump insists the US military controls the strait and Iran says it is closed without Tehran’s approval.
Key Facts
- Of 112 oil and gas vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz between August 1 and 19, 89 — more than 80 percent — used dark or unclassified routes, Kpler data shows.
- In the same period, 21 vessels openly used the Iranian route and only two formally used the Omani route.
- President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman, a US ally on the opposite side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Route Split
President Donald Trump has insisted the US military controls traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and suggested Washington might seek to take charge of the territory. Iran has insisted the waterway is closed to ships that do not seek Tehran’s approval before transit. Since the war spiked tensions, the strait has fractured into two main routes: a northern Iranian corridor near Larak and Qeshm islands, and a southern Omani corridor farther from Iran’s shoreline. Washington insists on the Omani route and provides naval protection to commercial carriers using it, while Tehran insists on the Iranian route feeding Iranian ports and offshore terminals.
Tracking Gaps
Kpler counted 112 vessels carrying crude, LPG and LNG that passed through the Strait of Hormuz between August 1 and 19. Of those, 21 openly used the Iranian route and only two formally used the Omani route. The remaining 89 vessels, more than 80 percent of the total, went along dark or otherwise unclassified routes. Dark routing occurs when a vessel turns off its AIS transponder or its AIS data does not fit Kpler’s Iranian or Omani corridors. Consequently, the data does not show which route the 89 unclassified vessels took.
1 source
Kpler data shows 89 of 112 Hormuz oil and gas tankers used unclassified routes
