Three Tankers Attempt Hormuz Transit After US Flags Blockade
(Bloomberg) — Three tankers are trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, sailing close to the Iranian coast; They are the first ships to attempt to pass through the waterway since the US declared a blockade.
The New Future, which has no obvious connection to the Iran- and US-sanctioned Aurora, began moving northeastward from waters off the United Arab Emirates early Monday, according to ship tracking data. The medium-range tankers appear to be following a route just south of the Iranian island of Larak; It’s a passage that Tehran has said in recent days that ships trying to transit eastwards should follow.
As New Future passes the bend in the strait and moves south towards the Gulf of Oman, Aurora remains near Larak and moves at an average speed.
At the same time, a Vietnamese-flagged and owned liquefied petroleum gas carrier is approaching the strait in the opposite direction in what appears to be an attempt to enter the Persian Gulf. NV Sunshine began sailing northwards from the waters off Sohar in the Gulf of Oman late Sunday, signaling it is headed for Sharjah in the UAE.
The crossings came just hours before the United States was expected to impose a blockade on areas around the Strait of Hormuz after talks between Tehran and Washington collapsed over the weekend. The restrictions, which apply to all ships entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas and will come into effect at 10 a.m. New York time on Monday, come after the Islamic Republic’s control of the vital waterway since the start of the war caused maritime traffic to plummet.
The progress of the ships is being closely monitored as the United States and Iran compete for control of the chokepoint through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil flows. The ships have been targeted or attacked by Tehran in recent weeks due to their connections to or ownership of Western countries; Trump’s latest move aims to challenge the Islamic Republic’s control over the strait and deprive it of energy income.
Ship tracking data shows New Future heading to the Omani port of Sohar. It carries more than 330,000 barrels of diesel, loaded from the United Arab Emirates’ port of Hamriyah in early April. The ship entered the bay shortly before the start of the war in late February.
The Marshall Islands-flagged ship is owned and managed by Hong Kong Chuanglang Shipping, according to shipping database Equasis. A call to Chuanglang’s listed phone number was unsuccessful because the operator said he had not paid his phone bills. The company did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
