Thirty-seven commodity ships transited the Bab el-Mandab Strait on Tuesday, the highest total since July 19, according to preliminary shipping information, while activity stayed minimal in the Strait of Hormuz.

Of these vessels, twenty entered the strait and seventeen departed, based on tracking details from analytics firm Kpler. No very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers were among them.

Three laden Aframax tankers carrying crude departed the area. The Aisopos and Gustav headed into the Gulf of Aden, each transporting more than 750,000 barrels of oil, while the Karachi carried roughly 430,000 barrels bound for Pakistan.

Two tankers with petrochemical products entered the strait. The Velos Aquarius transported 345,000 barrels of methyl tertiary butyl ether, a gasoline blendstock, for delivery west of Suez, and the Sea Ambition carried nearly 93,000 barrels of chemicals destined for Turkey.

Houthis Leverage Bab al-Mandab to Mirror Iran's Pressure in Strait of Hormuz

Yemen's Houthis stated on Tuesday that they launched ballistic missiles at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, intensifying enforcement of a recently declared maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia after earlier strikes on its oil facilities.

China held direct talks with the Houthi movement to secure passage for its tankers through the Red Sea, according to sources.

Only five commodity ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, Kpler data indicated, with three entering and two exiting.

The empty VLCC Nissos Kea was among the three ships entering the strait.

Oman offered a proposal to Iran for joint regional oversight of the Strait of Hormuz, under which shipping firms would pay voluntary fees. A US official noted, however, that no tolls or fees would apply to passage through the strait under any coordination agreement under discussion.