(April 13): Three tankers are attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz by sailing close to the Iranian coast, the first vessels to try and pass through the waterway since the US announced a blockade.
The New Future, which has no clear links to Iran, and the US-sanctioned Auroura, began moving northeast early on Monday from waters off the United Arab Emirates, ship-tracking data showed. The medium-range tankers appeared to have taken a route just south of Iran’s Larak island, a passage that Tehran has in recent days said vessels attempting an eastward transit should follow.
New Future has navigated the bend in the strait and is now heading south into the Gulf of Oman, while Auroura remains near Larak and is travelling at an average speed.
At the same time, a Vietnam-flagged and owned liquefied petroleum gas carrier is approaching the strait in the opposite direction, in what seems like an attempted entry into the Persian Gulf. The NV Sunshine began sailing northward from waters off Sohar in the Gulf of Oman late on Sunday and is signalling it is headed to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
The transits come just hours before the US is expected to implement a blockade of the areas around the Strait of Hormuz, after talks between Tehran and Washington fell apart over the weekend. The restrictions, which apply to all vessels entering or departing Iranian ports or coastal areas and will kick in at 10am New York time on Monday, come after the Islamic Republic’s tightening grip over the vital waterway since the start of the war caused maritime traffic to plunge.
See also: Saudi oil sales to China to halve as Hormuz crisis lifts prices
The progress of the ships is being closely watched as the US and Iran vie for control over the chokepoint, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil used to flow. Vessels have been targeted or attacked by Tehran in recent weeks for their links to Western countries or ownership, while Trump’s latest move is aimed at challenging the Islamic Republic’s control of the strait and depriving it of energy revenue.
The New Future is indicating that it’s headed for Sohar, an Omani port, the ship-tracking data showed. It’s carrying more than 330,000 barrels of gasoil that was loaded at Hamriyah, a port in the United Arab Emirates, in early April. The vessel entered the gulf shortly before the start of the war in late February.
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel is owned and managed by Hong Kong Chuanglang Shipping, according to maritime database Equasis. A call made to Chuanglang’s listed phone number did not get through, with the operator saying it had not paid its phone bills. The company did not respond to an emailed request for comments.
See also: Oil may rise to US$150 if US goes ahead with blockade, Onyx says
The Panama-flagged Auroura is signalling that it has Indian crew on board, in what has become a commonly seen tactic that vessels use as they transit Hormuz to show their affiliations. The ship was sanctioned by the US in December for its links to the Iranian oil trade. Bloomberg News couldn’t immediately verify where the tanker had loaded its cargo from. The ship has been in the gulf since December.
Its owner is listed as Aurora Shipowners Ltd, which is based in Mumbai and shares the same address as its manager, Golden Gate Ship Management. There were no contact details listed for either company.
Vietnam has recently said that it is working with Iranian authorities to ensure safe passage of its vessels through Hormuz. NV Sunshine is owned and managed by Nhat Viet Transportation Corp, Equasis showed. The Ho Chi Minh City-based company did not immediately answer a call and an emailed request for comments.
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