Shipping traffic at key Gulf waterways little changed on uncertain peace talks

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb held largely unchanged at the start of the week, according to Kpler data. Six vessels transited Hormuz on Monday, down from seven, while 20 passed through Bab el-Mandeb, steady from the previous day. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said no negotiations with the US were taking place, despite President Trump's statement on Sunday that he was holding off on new attacks pending talks.

Shipping traffic through the key Gulf waterways of Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz held largely unchanged at the start of the week, according to Kpler shipping data. Twenty vessels, 12 tankers and eight bulk carriers, passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Monday, steady from the previous day. Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained largely slow, with six vessels, three tankers and three bulk carriers, transiting on Monday, down from seven on the previous day. The data comes as the progress of talks between the United States and Iran remained ambiguous. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that no negotiations with the US were taking place and no meetings were scheduled. This followed US President Donald Trump's statement on Sunday that he was holding off on new attacks on Iran pending ongoing talks to end their war and settle claims over the control of the Strait of Hormuz. The risk of vessel attacks kept shipping sentiment cautious, prompting some Saudi-flagged supertankers to change course in the Gulf of Aden and divert to southern Africa amid threats by Yemen's Houthi movement to target Saudi shipping.