A fisherman paddles before the Sierra Leone-flagged Sara Sky, which is carrying crude oil from Russia, anchored at Limay port, Bataan province. AFP
"We think Asia will, for now, be the ones suffering the most," Kpler president Jean Maynier told AFP at the company's offices in Singapore.
He said the continent does not have enough energy resources of its own to cover the gap. "It will not be enough in China, it will not be enough to cover in big countries like the Philippines or Indonesia. So it's a real energy crisis."
The conflict erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate and restrict access to the Strait of Hormuz.
Maynier noted the impact is already visible in countries like the Philippines, where the government has declared a national energy emergency. "It's really bad for Asia and we are not optimistic if the event continues," he said. "We hope at some point that politicians will find a solution."
Brussels-based Kpler, founded in 2014 and owner of the MarineTraffic website, is a leading data analytics and ship-tracking agency. It reported that 17 commodities vessels crossed the strait over the weekend, 12 on Saturday, one of the busiest days since March 1.
As of 1700 GMT Monday, 196 vessels had made crossings this month, a sharp decline from pre-war levels, with 120 oil tankers and gas carriers mostly traveling east.
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