A Chinese tanker under US sanctions passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, after it reversed course during its first attempt a day earlier as American forces began a blockade of the waterway.
Rich Starry, a medium-range tanker, appeared to have made the journey, becoming the first to sail through the strait since the US began its operation on Monday evening, data from MarineTraffic and VesselFinder showed. US President Donald Trump imposed the blockade after US-Iran talks in Islamabad on Saturday failed to reopen the strait or end the war.
US Central Command said the blockade would be aimed at "vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas". Centcom forces "will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports", it said.
Mr Trump said the US would use the "same system of kill" that it employs against drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. Neutral vessels in Iranian ports were to be given a "grace period" to leave and mariners were told the blockade would cover the entire Iranian coastline.
On Monday, Rich Starry, a 188-metre chemicals/oil products tanker, turned back within minutes of approaching the chokepoint, MarineTraffic data showed. A second vessel, the 175-metre tanker Ostria, also reversed course after approaching the strait, it added.
Rich Starry is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol and the tanker and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping, were placed under US sanctions for dealing with Iran, Reuters reported. Another tanker under US sanctions, the Murlikishan, which has carried Russian and Iranian oil, is also attempting to pass through the strait on Tuesday, Reuters said.
The waterway was effectively closed by Iran during its 40-day war with the US and Israel, leading to a surge in oil and gas prices and affecting global supply chains.
During the war, Iran earned about $9 billion from crude exports, more a day than it was making before the start of the conflict on February 28, energy intelligence company Kpler found. The US blockade is expected to cut off about $150 million a day in oil revenue for Tehran.
About 190 million barrels of Iranian crude are at sea, with about 50 million barrels west of Singapore and 140 million east of it, and most of it is destined for China, Homayoun Falakshahi, head of oil analytics at Kpler, told The National.
