Washington DC [US], April 15: At least three vessels, including two United States-sanctioned tankers, have entered the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on the first full day of the US blockade on ships calling at Iranian ports, according to shipping data.
As the three vessels transiting the strait on Tuesday were not heading to Iranian ports, they were not affected by the blockade. Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, a medium-range tanker, is heading to Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates, LSEG data showed. The vessel typically moves Iranian naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, to other non-Iranian ports in the Middle East for export to Asia, Kpler data showed.
Prior to this, two US-sanctioned tankers passed through the narrow waterway, through which a fifth of global energy exports pass. Handy tanker Murlikishan is heading to Iraq to load fuel oil on Thursday, Kpler data showed. The vessel, formerly known as MKA, has transported Russian and Iranian oil.
Another sanctioned tanker, Rich Starry, would be the first to make it through the strait and to exit the Gulf since the blockade began on Monday, data from LSEG and Kpler showed. The tanker and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd, were sanctioned by the US for dealing with Iran.
Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker, carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, Hamriyah, the data showed. The Chinese-owned a Chinese crew on board, the data showed.
Source: Qatar Tribune