Ships transiting via Bab el-Mandeb strait at highest in a week, data shows

SINGAPORE, July 29 (Reuters) - Thirty-seven commodity ships passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, the highest number since July 19, preliminary shipping data showed, with only a few transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.

Of the ships passing through, 20 ships entered the strait while 17 ships exited, according to ship-tracking data from analytics firm Kpler. None were very large crude carriers (VLCC) or liquefied natural gas tankers.

Among those exiting, three were laden Aframax tankers carrying crude. The Aisopos and Gustav exited to the Gulf of Aden, each carrying more than 750,000 barrels of oil, while the Karachi is carrying around 430,000 barrels of crude bound for Pakistan.

Of the ships that entered, two were tankers carrying petrochemical products. The Velos Aquarius is carrying 345,000 barrels of methyl tertiary butyl ether, a type of gasoline blendstock, for delivery to the west of Suez and the Sea Ambition is carrying nearly 93,000 barrels of chemicals bound for Turkey.

Yemen's Houthis said on Tuesday they fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, stepping up enforcement of a newly declared maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. That followed earlier attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil sites.

China has held direct talks with the Houthi movement to enable its tankers to sail through the Red Sea, sources have said.

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

VLCC Nissos Kea, currently empty, was one of the three ships entering the Strait.

Oman has presented a proposal to Iran for joint regional management of the Strait of Hormuz with shipping firms paying voluntary fees. But a U.S. official said there will be no tolls and no fees for passage through the strait in a coordination deal being discussed.