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Singapore/Tokyo, July 10 (Reuters) - Ship tracking data showed that more liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers have resumed transiting the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, while 22 Japan-linked vessels have left the Gulf region since Tuesday, but daily shipping traffic through the waterway remains slower than usual as tensions escalate in the Middle East.

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, is being closely watched by shipping companies and governments following Iranian attacks this week on commercial vessels and retaliatory strikes by the United States against Iran.

Data from Kpler and the London Stock Exchange Group showed that at least five empty liquefied natural gas tankers entered the strait in the past few days.

These tankers include the Gazlog Shanghai, owned by the Greek shipping company Gazlog, along with the Al Samriya, Al Dafna, Al Qattara and Al Rayyan tankers associated with Qatar Energy.

The data showed that the two tankers, the Gazlog Shanghai and the Al Rayyan, likely crossed into the strait during the night, after having been spotted outside the waterway on July 9.

The other three tankers linked to Qatar Energy were last spotted outside the Strait of Hormuz off the west coast of India several weeks ago; Al Samaria and Al Qattara were most recently seen between June 18 and 19, while Al Dafna was spotted on June 29.

Qatar Energy and Gaslog have not yet responded to requests for comment sent outside of official working hours.

The supertanker Nisus Kea entered the strait yesterday, Thursday, while the supertanker Leila Fadinar exited it.

Xavier Tang, senior market analyst at Vortexa, said, "What's different now compared to the start of the conflict is that Iran is targeting ships using the Omani route rather than targeting all ships, which means more ships will head to the Iranian route or cross the strait with their tracking devices turned off."

Difficulty in tracking ship movements

Sources in the maritime shipping sector reported an increasing trend of ships turning off their tracking devices, making it difficult to monitor all vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysis by Kpler of trackable vessels showed that the movement of oil and liquefied natural gas tankers fell on Thursday to its lowest daily level since June 28, with only 10 vessels crossing the strait compared to about 14 on Wednesday and 22 on Monday.

Daily traffic through the strait has surged over the past two weeks to its highest level since the start of the US and Israeli airstrikes that ignited the war with Iran in late February, with an average of 40 ships transiting the strait daily. However, this level remains far below the pre-conflict average of 125 to 140 ships per day.

Some war risk insurance providers this week recommended that ship owners temporarily suspend their voyages following attacks on tankers in the region, which led to higher war risk insurance premiums.

Marcus Becker, global head of marine insurance at Marsh, a brokerage and risk management company, said, "Prices have risen again following the Iranian attacks on cargo ships in the region, and we do not expect them to fall unless the market is truly convinced that the risk environment has changed."

* 4 ships linked to Japan are still in the Gulf

Japanese Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko told a news conference on Friday that 22 ships linked to Japan, including six large crude oil tankers, had crossed the Strait of Hormuz to leave the Gulf between July 7 and 9, meaning that only four ships remain in the Gulf.

When asked how the safety of ships is ensured, an official in the Department of Foreign Shipping at the Ministry of Transport declined to comment, citing security considerations.

According to a spokesman for the Japan Shipowners Association, the number of Japan-linked vessels in the Gulf has dropped from 45 ships with about 1,100 crew members on board at the outbreak of the conflict, to just four ships with about 100 crew members on board currently.