Shipping data shows that Middle East crude oil exports exceed pre-war levels.

Shipping data published on Monday showed that Middle East crude exports exceeded pre-war levels on four of the seven days in the last week of September, despite attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Preliminary data from ship-tracking firm Kpler showed the region's crude exports rose above pre-war levels on September 24 and between September 27 and 29, climbing to 19.5 million to 22.5 million barrels per day. Before the outbreak of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, namely between March 2025 and February this year, exports averaged 18 million barrels per day. The data showed the seven-day moving average of crude exports stood at 18.5 million barrels per day on October 1. The figures cover shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, exports from terminals, and ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman. Kpler data showed that in the week ending September 30, total shipments of crude, refined products, chemicals and non-gaseous liquids averaged 22.4 million barrels per day. In September, the number of LNG vessels departing through the Strait of Hormuz also increased, hitting the highest monthly level since February. The data does not account for vessels that transited the strait with their Automatic Identification System transponders switched off to evade monitoring.