Nearly 40 Oil Tankers Cross Strait of Hormuz in Single Night, US Officials Say
About 40 oil tankers transited the Strait of Hormuz via the southern route on Friday night, moving roughly 16 million barrels of oil, according to US officials.
Nearly 40 oil tankers navigated the Strait of Hormuz through its southern shipping channel on Friday night, according to three US officials cited in American media reports on Saturday.
The officials indicated that the transit involved the movement of approximately 16 million barrels of oil through the strategic waterway during that single night. The figure underscores the continued flow of crude through one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints.
The Strait of Hormuz, situated between Iran and Oman, handles a substantial share of global petroleum shipments. The reported movement comes amid ongoing regional tensions that have periodically raised concerns about the safety and security of shipping lanes in the area.
Details regarding the specific destinations of the tankers or the exact composition of the cargo were not disclosed in the initial reports. The southern route is one of two designated shipping lanes in the strait, typically used for outbound traffic from the Persian Gulf.