A Chinese tanker under US sanctions, which passed through the Strait of Hormuz earlier on Tuesday after the US imposed a blockade on the waterway, was seen turning back late afternoon.
Rich Starry, a medium-range tanker, initially 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. However, it was seen heading back towards Hormuz around 5.30pm UAE time. US President Donald Trump imposed the blockade after US-Iran talks in Islamabad on Saturday failed to end the war and reopen the channel.
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 boats carrying drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. Neutral vessels in Iranian ports were to be given a “grace period” to leave, with mariners 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, known previously as Full Star, 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. Two more tankers under US sanctions, the Murlikishan, which has carried Russian and Iranian oil, and Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, are also attempting to pass through the strait on Tuesday, Reuters said. None of the three ships transiting the strait were heading to Iranian ports.
The waterway, through which about 20 per cent of the world's oil and gas normally passes, 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.
Before the war began on February 28, about 140 ships passed through the waterway each day. A maximum of 14 a day have travelled through since the two-week ceasefire was agreed to by the US and Iran on April 8. An estimated 230 vessels loaded with oil are stuck in the Arabian Gulf.
Mr Trump on Monday said 34 ships had sailed through the strait the previous day, without providing further details.
Twenty-eight commercial vessels crossed through the strait during the weekend, according to Kpler. “Traffic stayed weak on Monday, with just six commercial vessel transits versus 14 on Sunday, indicating continued subdued activity rather than any meaningful rebound,” Ana Subasic, trade risk analyst at the market intelligence firm, told The National.
The US blockade may support some incremental movement while the ceasefire holds, “particularly if owners interpret the enforcement posture as more targeted than initially feared”, Ms Subasic said.
“That said, we would stop short of describing this as a meaningful normalisation of traffic at this stage. There remains enough uncertainty around enforcement, counterparty exposure, insurance and overall operating risk from both sides that many market participants are likely to remain cautious and in a wait-and-see mode for the near term,” she added.
The US naval blockade of the strait moves the situation “from a price shock to a structural disruption of global trade”, said Raj Abrol, chief executive of risk platform Galytix.
“The impact goes well beyond energy prices – it ripples through shipping routes, insurance premiums, supply chains and input costs across every sector. This blockade only confirms that we should expect protracted volatility across all of these indicators, not a return to stability.”
Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called the US blockade of Iranian ports “dangerous and irresponsible”.
The move by the US to increase military deployments and impose a targeted blockade will deepen the conflict and further jeopardise the safety of navigation through the strait, media reports cited ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun as saying.
China urges all parties to respect the current ceasefire and remain committed to dialogue and peace talks, the official added.
During the war, Iran earned about $9 billion from crude exports, which exceeds it daily profits before the start of the conflict, energy intelligence company Kpler found. The US blockade is expected to cut about $150 million a day in oil revenue for Tehran.
About 190 million barrels of Iranian crude are at sea, with an estimated 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.
