Only four commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday in preliminary shipping data, down from 10 a day earlier and below the 10-day average of around 13. The reading stood out even as Brent crude futures remained above $95 a barrel, underscoring the market’s focus on risk around a waterway that carried about one-fifth of global oil consumption before the conflict.
Data Snapshot
| Metric | Current | Previous | Change | Period | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brent crude futures | $95.2 a barrel | — | fell 43 cents, or 0.45% | at 0029 GMT on Thursday | September 3, 2026 | Reuters via Investing.com |
| West Texas Intermediate crude futures | $90.77 a barrel | — | down 24 cents, or 0.26% | at 0029 GMT on Thursday | September 3, 2026 | Reuters via Investing.com |
| Commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz | four commodity vessels | 10 commodity vessels a day earlier | — | Wednesday; preliminary shipping data | September 3, 2026 | Reuters via Investing.com |
| Ten-day average of commodity-vessel transits through Hormuz | around 13 | — | — | 10-day average | September 3, 2026 | Reuters via Investing.com |
| Oil transiting the Strait of Hormuz | 17 million barrels | — | — | Monday | September 3, 2026 | Reuters via Investing.com |
Transit count falls below 10-day average
The preliminary count of four commodity vessels reflects movements through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, not the quantity of oil moving through the strait. It was less than half the 10 commodity vessels recorded a day earlier and well below the recent 10-day average of around 13. Vessels with transponders switched off are excluded from Kpler’s transit data, according to Reuters, so the preliminary figure captures only vessels visible through that methodology.
Monday oil volume reached 17 million barrels
Oil transiting the Strait of Hormuz reached 17 million barrels on Monday.
U.S. officials called that the largest volume of crude to pass through the waterway since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began, Reuters reported.
The figure is not directly comparable with Wednesday’s preliminary count of four commodity vessels. The two readings cover different measures—oil volume and vessel count—and different days, although they show that a low vessel-count snapshot can coexist with a large volume reading on another day.
Brent holds above $95 amid renewed strikes
Brent crude futures fell 43 cents, or 0.45%, to $95.2 a barrel at 0029 GMT on Thursday, and West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 24 cents, or 0.26%, to $90.77 a barrel.
Prices remained elevated amid heightened shipping risks following renewed exchanges between the United States and Iran. The United States said its strikes targeted Iranian radar and missile systems, while Iran retaliated, according to Reuters via Investing.com. The Strait of Hormuz carried about one-fifth of global oil consumption before the conflict, Reuters reported via Baird Maritime.
