Six Commodity Ships on Tuesday. Hormuz Is Not Reopened.

Six commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. That is down from 9 on Monday, and below a 10-day average of 11. Reuters, citing preliminary Kpler data in Wednesday’s reprint, is the stamp. This is not a reopening.

Inbound traffic that day included an empty very large crude carrier on the Omani side and two tankers. Two medium-range fuel tankers and a post-Panamax vessel exited. The 12 August FXStreet count of 14 ships, with none on the central passage, is last week’s Tuesday. It is not this week’s.

Iran says closed. Trump says open. No talks.

FXStreet’s Wednesday wrap had Iran’s top negotiator repeating that Hormuz stays closed until Washington meets the conditions of the now-expired interim deal. Trump said on social media the waterway is open and operating and that no talks with Tehran are scheduled. A vessel was reported struck by an unknown projectile in the strait the same day.

Do not write the strait back open. The political lines still disagree.

Same-week tape: Trump posted an economic D-Day on Iran. That is a social-media announcement. It is not a Hormuz rewrite.

Monday’s first Kpler print, via Reuters on Tuesday, was also 6 commodity ships, 3 in and 3 out, with 0 VLCC and 0 LNG on that list. The VLGC Xavia entered ballast on the Iranian route. Wednesday’s reprint revises Monday to 9. Weekend on that Tuesday Reuters: 3 Saturday, 2 Sunday. Transponders off are not in the tally.

Oil stamps disagree. They are not averaged.

The same waterway is carrying different prices this week. They stay as stamps.

Stamp	Print	Source
Monday settle	WTI $84.50, Brent $90.87	WSJ via Iran International
Tuesday wrap	WTI eased toward $84	FXStreet, Forex Today, 18 Aug
Wednesday Europe	Brent climbed above $91/b; Dutch TTF hit €64/MWh	KBC via FXStreet, 19 Aug

The 12 August Gibson note still sitting in FXStreet related links, Brent $87 and WTI $81, is that week’s tape. It is not Wednesday’s.

KBC also had the June memorandum, including a truce extension, expiring Monday. Vortexa, in the same Wednesday Reuters reprint, said two Chinese majors that had moved about half of China’s Middle East oil have kept tankers off Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb since late July.

The count to watch is still the central passage and the first VLCC with cargo. Tuesday’s empty VLCC on the Omani side is not that print. Until a laden crude line shows, oil is priced for a reopening the ships have not made.

Live energy is on prices. The calendar is on the economic calendar.

Informational only. Not trading advice, signals, or a guarantee of any market outcome.