A vessel carrying a million barrels of Saudi oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, becoming one of the first large tankers to leave the Persian Gulf after traffic through the narrow strait virtually ceased, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
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The tanker "Shenlong", owned by the Greek company Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd., switched off its transponder in the Persian Gulf on March 4, heading for Hormuz, and began signaling off the coast of India on Monday morning, as shown by vessel tracking data collected by Bloomberg.
Traffic through the strait virtually stopped after the start of the war between the US and Israel and Iran, and Tehran responded by attacking several vessels in this waterway. The threat to shipping effectively paralyzed the flow of the world's most important goods and prompted the US to announce naval escort if necessary, as well as insurance coverage.
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US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview with Fox News over the weekend that the tanker made this voyage; tracking whether the vessel crossed even more channels is complicated by the transponders being turned off. However, there is little indication that the overall security situation in the region has changed, as the vast majority of shipping operators are still reluctant to pass through this waterway.
Although unauthorized cargoes do not cross the Strait of Hormuz, Iran itself continues to transport large volumes of oil through it, according to TankerTrackers.com Inc. The company estimates that at least 11-12 million barrels of Iranian oil have passed through this channel since the war began on February 28.
The publication notes that several attacks on vessels have been committed in the region since the start of hostilities. Naval forces said that although there were no incidents on Sunday, this should be seen as a temporary lull, not a change in intentions. The Joint Maritime Information Center said that real threats to merchant shipping and marine energy infrastructure in the area remain.