* Aramco resumes Ras Tanura oil loadings after 4-month halt

* Strait of Hormuz loadings at their highest level since war

began

* Overall traffic remains a fraction of the daily average

(Adds analysts comments in paragraphs 4 and 10, updates prices)

By Mohi Narayan and Sam Li

NEW DELHI, June 26 (Reuters) - Crude prices sank 2% on

Friday and were headed for steep weekly losses amid easing

supply concerns as more stranded oil tankers exited the Strait

of Hormuz, even though a cargo vessel was hit near Oman on

Thursday.

Brent crude futures fell $1.47, or 1.95%, to $73.79

a barrel as of 0421 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate

fell $1.44, or 2%, to $70.48 a barrel.

Refining giant Saudi Aramco resumed oil loading on Friday at

its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf after a near four-month

halt, shipping data from LSEG showed. Two Very Large Crude

Carriers were seen loading crude at the terminal, while another

waited nearby, the data showed. Each VLCC is capable of loading

2 million barrels of oil.

"There is a general selloff as the market reacts to the

increased flows exiting the Strait of Hormuz and China not yet

picking up crude demand," said June Goh, senior oil market

analyst at Sparta Commodities.

Both benchmark contracts jumped more than 2% on Thursday

after a cargo vessel was hit by an unknown projectile near Oman,

prompting the U.N.'s shipping agency to suspend its voluntary

evacuation scheme.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Iran fired on the cargo

ship as it attempted to pass through the strait. Iranian

authorities said the security of vessels passing outside

designated Hormuz routes is not guaranteed.

Brent oil and WTI crude are both headed for losses of around

8% this week.

Data showed on Thursday that crude shipments through the

Strait of Hormuz rose this week to their highest level since the

U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began in February after a

ceasefire deal reopened the waterway, while concerns about how

long the strait would stay open also boosted trade.

However, overall traffic remain a fraction of the daily

average of 125 ships passing through the strait before the

February 28 conflict began.

"Much of the increase reflects previously stranded vessels

leaving the Persian Gulf. Vessel flows into the Gulf remain much

more modest. It suggests that once stranded vessels have moved

out, we could see a pullback in flows," ING analysts wrote in a

note.

Meanwhile, earthquakes in Venezuela that happened on

Thursday also raised supply concerns.

Preliminary assessments by workers of Venezuela's vast oil,

gas and refining infrastructure so far showed limited damage, as

most of the country's largest output regions, refineries,

pipelines and terminals are far from the hardest-hit areas.

Still, a lack of power has cast doubt on whether oil output

can be sustained at its pre-earthquake level of close to 1.2

million barrels per day, sources said.