The National Post reports in its Thursday edition that about 90 ships including oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the war with Iran and it is still exporting millions of barrels of oil despite the waterway being effectively closed. An Associated Press dispatch to the Post says that many of the vessels that passed through the strait were so-called "dark" transits evading Western government sanctions and oversight that likely have ties to Iran, Lloyd's List Intelligence said. More recently, vessels with ties to India and Pakistan have also crossed the strait as governments stepped up negotiations. As crude prices spiked above $100 (U.S.) a barrel, U.S. President Donald Trump pressured allies and trade partners to send warships and reopen the strait. Most shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been halted since early March. About 20 vessels have been attacked in the area. However, Iran has still managed to export well above 16 million barrels of oil since the beginning of March, trade data and analytics platform Kpler estimated. Some vessels near or in the strait were found to have declared themselves as China-linked or with all Chinese crew to reduce risks of being attacked.