Maritime intelligence firm Kpler data for August 1-19 reveals that 148 out of 236 vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, including oil and gas carriers, turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders or used unclassified routes. This practice, known as 'dark routing,' is employed to reduce visibility and avoid being targeted by military forces amid heightened US-Iran tensions. Of the ships that openly declared their routes, 83 used the Iranian route, while only 3 publicly used the Omani route favored by the US.