Supertanker Appears to Have Crossed the Strait of Hormuz
(Bloomberg) — A supertanker carrying Iraqi crude may have passed the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, according to automated tracking data. Separately, a cargo of fuel destined for India also left the Persian Gulf.
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The very large crude oil carrier Kin A, also known as Helga, appeared on tracking screens off Duqm on the Oman coast on Saturday, where it had previously been spotted heading towards the strait after loading at Iraq’s Basra terminal more than three days ago. It would probably have crossed the strait on Wednesday.
The journey is possible depending on the distance traveled and the time between signals; Satellite images analyzed by Bloomberg show the VLCC in Basra at the same anchorage as indicated by Kin A’s signals. It is not possible to identify the ship from these images. If the journey is real, it would be one of a dozen VLCCs carrying non-Iranian cargo since the beginning of March to make the crossing.
Kin A has previously been involved in transporting Venezuelan crude oil to Asia and storing and transshipping crude oil in the Riau archipelago east of Singapore, an area well known for its shadow fleet activities, raising questions about its current operations.
Separately, the very large gas carrier Sarv Shakti, carrying liquefied petroleum gas to India, transited the strait on Saturday morning. Another gas tanker of similar size bound for India also passed in the opposite direction.
Beyond those three tankers, commercial traffic in Hormuz between Friday morning and Saturday afternoon was limited to the usual mix of small vessels bound for China or bound for Iran, ship tracking data shows.
The restricted movement highlights that access to the strait appears to be limited to selected ships with regional compliance or approval.
Ship Movements
Outbound transits remained limited on Saturday morning. In addition to Sarv Shakti, two Chinese-bound ships, a bulk carrier and a small oil product tanker, and an Iran-bound ash/bitumen tanker were the only vessels observed leaving the Persian Gulf.
Ships passing through Hormuz the past day with active Automatic Identification System signals were kept in the narrow northern strip approved by Tehran.
Recent Iran-bound sailings have largely stopped in the Gulf of Oman, but it is unclear whether the ships are following regional routes or are stuck by the US Navy blockade further east in the gulf.
