Shafaq News- Brussels

Most shipowners are avoiding the Strait of Hormuz because of a lack of clear signals on its reopening following the blockade imposed during the recent Iran war, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing analytics firm Kpler.

Six vessels carrying commodities passed through the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the previous day and below the 10-day average of 11.

Traffic heading into the strait included an empty supertanker hugging the Omani side, along with two oil tankers, one mid-sized and the other smaller. Two medium-range fuel tankers and one larger Post-Panamax vessel were leaving. Before the war, roughly a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas passed through Hormuz.

Two major Chinese shipping companies that together handled half of China's Middle Eastern oil imports before the war have also kept their tankers away from both Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Strait since late July, according to tanker-tracking firm Vortexa and a shipbroker.

The figures come amid conflicting signals over the strait's status. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington was holding no talks with Iran and that Hormuz was open, contradicting Iran's position that the strait remains closed to shipping.