Oil keeps flowing through Hormuz despite Iran saying it’s shut

Millions of barrels of oil continued to flow through the Strait of Hormuz this weekend even after Iran claimed it had closed the waterway again, as Washington and Tehran offered contrasting narratives about the status of the world’s most important shipping chokepoint.

Three loaded supertankers with a combined capacity of 6 million barrels emit signals as they passed through the canal on Saturday on a route hugging the coast of Oman, ship tracking shows. One of them continued to send automatic signals early Sunday after reaching the Gulf of Oman.

Gulf Sunrise, carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Saudi crude oil to Japan, is now crossing the Gulf of Oman, automatic tracking signals show, after disappearing from screens near the top of the strait on Saturday. The Angola B, loaded with Emirati crude oil, was last seen on Saturday rounding the tip of the Musandam peninsula, a region of Oman extending towards Hormuz. The Monaco Loyalty had not yet reached the top of the Bosphorus when it disappeared again on Saturday.
Also read: Iran’s Tasnim news agency says Hormuz will not reopen until Lebanon ceasefire and oil waiver is granted

An email sent to the ships’ manager was not immediately responded to.

If all three clear the waterway, their actions would support the U.S. military’s claim that it can successfully defend its southern route near the Omani coast, despite Iran claiming it can control the waterway. A handful of ships were also seen entering the Persian Gulf using the same route.
US Central Command said in a statement on Saturday that 17 million barrels passed through Hormuz, despite Iranian media reports that the strait was closed. The navies’ and maritime liaison said earlier on Saturday that ships could pass by Oman at any time of day by making their positions visible, before Iran said Hormuz was closed. As Iran and the United States jostle to control the narrative around Hormuz, peace talks will take place on Sunday when senior officials, including US Vice President JD Vance, meet in Switzerland. Ensuring freedom of navigation in the Bosphorus is one of the main priorities of the United States. Qatar said these talks would begin on Sunday.

The two foes are clashing after separate clashes between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon delayed the start of talks. A 60-day window for talks is days away after reaching a memorandum of understanding that President Donald Trump signed during his visit to Paris on Wednesday, but which the agreement allows for extension.

One of the three tankers is carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude oil to Japan, while the other two are carrying similar amounts of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. All cargoes are based on ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and information from Kpler.

Although Hormuz is said to be closed, ships are also sending signals near Iran’s coastline.

Desh Vibhor, Desh Vaibhav and Sanmar Herald were observed in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea on Sunday after they were last seen signaling their attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz late Friday, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. They may have crossed the strait before Iran announced that the strait was closed again.

The supertankers, each indicating Indian ownership or cargo destined for India, carry about 6 million barrels of Iraqi and Kuwaiti oil between them. All of them signaled near the Iranian island of Qeshm, suggesting they were following the route approved by Tehran.

Shipping Corporation of India, which is listed in the Equasis database as the owner and manager of Desh Vibhor and Desh Vaibhav, did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment outside normal business hours. The operator of the Sanmar Herald is Sanmar Shipping Ltd. He did not do this either.

Voyages by very large crude oil carriers and tankers passing through the energy chokepoint in both directions are increasing in number.

A handful of empty tankers were also seen entering the Persian Gulf along the coast of Oman. One of these was a very large gas carrier from Duqum in the Gulf of Oman.

The other two were crude oil supertankers that recently delivered Emirati crude oil. One of the VLCCs clearly marked its location at one of the anchorages in the Gulf of Oman a few days ago. Some Gulf producers are known to ship “dark” tankers via Hormuz so that cargo can be transferred to fresh ships waiting in these waters without attracting attention.

Liquefied natural gas carriers were also observed heading to the Persian Gulf, and ship tracking data shows they did so late Friday.

Also read: Indian refiners increase oil imports from Russia, UAE ahead of Hormuz recovery

Before Iran announced the closure of Hormuz, a maritime warning came from the Joint Military Information Center early on Saturday morning that ships could pass along the Omani side with their transponders turned on.

“Marines are advised to take a southerly route day or night with their AIS on, their radar on, their lights on, and normal VHF use,” the Joint Military Information Center said, citing the automatic identification system from transponders and very high-frequency radio communications. he said.

The JMIC notice contradicted America’s advice a few days earlier that ships should consider sailing on this route without broadcasting transponder signals. JMIC’s advice follows its warning late on Friday that a confirmed mine had been detected on Pakistan’s southern route. Pakistan has the responsibility of coordinating navigational warnings in the region.