A very large crude carrier under a Panama flag has passed through the Strait of Hormuz carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, Bloomberg has reported, citing ship-tracking data. This makes the Omega Trader the first tanker to export Iraqi crude since Iran all but shut off the strait.
According to the data, the Omega Trader, which is operated by Japan’s Mitsui OSK, had arrived in India, which is where most of the oil that has been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz over the past three weeks has been delivered.
The latest vessel traffic data from Windward suggests that movement via the strait remains severely constrained, with the tracking firm reporting only 16 crossings of vessels with their AIS turned on over the last week.
“Iran continues to consolidate control over the Strait of Hormuz through a selective transit model, enabling passage for specific vessels and cargo types via corridors within its territorial waters,” Windward noted in its latest daily update on Hormuz. “This includes energy shipments bound for China, agricultural cargo flows, and select LPG movements, reinforcing a permission-based access framework rather than a full closure.”
Separate reports over the past couple of days show Indian LPG cargoes moving through the strait, as well as so-called zombie tankers, which assume the identity of retired vessels taken out of operation.
Two very large gas carriers, Jag Vasant and the Pine Gas, on Monday traveled from the UAE’s coast to the Iranian islands of Qeshm and Larak, which sit on the northern section of the Strait of Hormuz, signaling they were Indian-owned. Meanwhile, one tanker that was supposed to have been sent to a scrapyard five years ago appeared in the Persian Gulf during the weekend and has since moved into the Gulf of Oman, meaning it had crossed Hormuz.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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