Sanctioned tankers transit Strait of Hormuz amid US blockade

Coverage Comparison

The Strait of Hormuz, a passage for roughly a fifth of global oil and LNG supplies, has become the focus of a US naval blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports, announced by President Donald Trump on April 12 after weekend peace talks in Islamabad failed, according to multiple outlets including The Hindu and Al Jazeera. The blockade began on Monday, April 13, and has sharply reduced transits through the narrow waterway, with traffic mostly in single digits since late February, reported the South China Morning Post.

Within the first days, several tankers – including some under US sanctions – transited the strait, with varying accounts of how many and their success in evading the blockade.

Key Claims

• Three supertankers laden with non-Iranian crude exited the strait in the week before the blockade, according to Al Jazeera, which identified the vessels as the Liberia-flagged Serifos and the China-flagged Cospearl Lake and He Rong Hai, each capable of carrying 2 million barrels.
• The US-sanctioned tanker Rich Starry crossed the strait on Tuesday, April 14, becoming the first to exit the Gulf since the blockade, per the Jerusalem Post and Al Jazeera. The tanker, carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol loaded at Hamriyah in the UAE, was later reported by The Hindu to have turned back on Wednesday without breaking the blockade.
• Another US-sanctioned tanker, Murlikishan, headed into the strait on Tuesday, expected to load fuel oil in Iraq, according to the Jerusalem Post and Al Jazeera.
• A second US-sanctioned supertanker, the RHN, entered the Gulf on Wednesday, April 15, as reported by The Hindu, citing LSEG and Kpler data. The US Central Command said 10 vessels had been turned around and none had broken through, according to the same report.
• A Pakistan-flagged tanker, the Shalamar, became the first carrier to exit the strait with a crude cargo since the blockade began, sailing south of Iran's Larak Island on Thursday with around 450,000 barrels loaded at Das Island in the UAE, per the South China Morning Post. It is heading to Karachi to discharge cargo on Sunday.
• Despite the volatility, shipping in Pakistan remains normal, with oil tankers arriving to bring fuel supplies. Three PNSC tankers are expected to berth at Karachi port to discharge crude, and the MT Martini is expected to load surplus fuel oil on Monday, according to Dawn.

Perspectives

The blockade has been framed by several outlets as a US-led effort to pressure Iran following failed diplomacy. The Jerusalem Post and The Hindu described it as a US action, while Al Jazeera noted that Iran had previously used the strait as a lever. The South China Morning Post and Dawn provide regional perspectives: the former highlighting the drop in transits, the latter showing ongoing Pakistani port activity.

Reports of tanker transits vary: while Al Jazeera said three vessels entered the Gulf on the first day of the blockade, including two sanctioned tankers, the South China Morning Post reported that the Shalamar was the first to exit with crude. The US Central Command's assertion that no ships have broken through contradicts at least one account of an Iranian supertanker crossing, as reported by Iran's Fars News Agency, though not independently verified.

The blockade adds uncertainty to global energy markets, with oil prices having risen earlier due to the conflict, though prices fell below $100 on Tuesday, per the Jerusalem Post. The full impact on global supplies remains unclear, with China – a major buyer of Middle Eastern oil – likely to be affected, as noted by Al Jazeera.