SINGAPORE, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Ship crossings via the Strait of Hormuz were still in single digits on Monday, despite rising slightly from the weekend, according to preliminary shipping data on Tuesday, amid a stalemate in U.S. and Iranian peace talks.
Six commodity ships transited the strait on Monday, of which three were exiting the Gulf and three were entering, Kpler shiptracking data showed, compared with the 10-day average of 11 ships. Three ships transited on Saturday while two moved through the waterway on Sunday.
There were no very large crude carriers (VLCC) or tankers carrying liquefied natural gas passing through.
Some vessels could be passing through the strait with their transponders switched off and they are not considered in the tally.
The very large gas carrier (VLGC) Xavia entered the strait via the Iranian route under ballast, meaning empty of a cargo, according to the data. VLGCs are typically used to ship liquefied petroleum gases such as propane and butane.
A medium-range fuel tanker and an intermediate-range tanker also entered the Gulf, the data showed, while a medium-sized LPG carrier, a Panamax bulk carrier and a Panamax-sized fuel tanker exited the Gulf.
BAB EL-MANDEB CROSSINGS
At the chokepoint of Bab el-Mandeb on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, 19 commodity vessels transited on Monday, Kpler data showed, lower than a 10-day moving average of 26 and Sunday's 33 crossings.
Out of the 19 ships, five were entering the Red Sea and 14 were exiting.
Of the 14 exits, one was the VLCC Norns laden with 2 million barrels of oil, according to the data.
Of the ships entering, two were the liquid tankers Admiral and Portofino, with the Portofino loaded with diesel bound for west of Suez markets.
(Reporting by Trixie Yap; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Tom Hogue)
