Kpler: About 80% of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz over the past two weeks have switched off AIS and conducted covert navigation along the Omani side to maintain Gulf oil exports.

(1) According to data from the shipping tracking company Kpler, around 80% of vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the past two weeks have adopted covert navigation methods: turning off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders and navigating as far as possible from the Iranian side, sticking to the Omani side. (2) This hidden shipping operation is helping to maintain oil exports from the Gulf region, preventing international crude oil prices from surging further due to energy supply shortages. (3) The current shipping practices reflect that the market is responding to the geopolitical risks of the Strait of Hormuz in a non-public manner to ensure basic stability in the global energy supply chain.