Sanctioned Chinese-owned tanker returns to Strait of Hormuz, day after Gulf exit

 Sanctioned Chinese-owned tanker returns to Strait of Hormuz, day after Gulf exit 

SINGAPORE (April 15): The US-sanctioned tanker Rich Starry made its way back to the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after exiting the Gulf the day before, shipping data showed, failing to break through a US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports.
US President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the US and Iran failed to reach a deal.

"During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade," the US Central Command said on X, adding that six vessels complied with directions from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port.

The Chinese-owned tanker was among at least eight ships crossing the waterway on Tuesday, the first day of the US blockade.
A US destroyer stopped two oil tankers attempting to leave the Iranian port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, a US official said.

The Rich Starry and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co, were placed under US sanctions for dealing with Iran. The company could not be reached for a comment.

The Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol that was loaded at the port of Hamriyah in the United Arab Emirates, Kpler data showed.

The blockade has created even further uncertainty for shippers, oil companies and war risk insurers. Traffic remains at only a fraction of the 130-plus daily crossings before the US and Israel's war on Iran began on Feb 28, industry sources said on Tuesday.

Another US-sanctioned vessel, the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Alicia that has a record of carrying Iranian oil since 2023, is entering the Gulf via the strait on Wednesday, Kpler and LSEG data showed. The empty tanker, capable of carrying two million barrels of oil, is heading to Iraq to load a cargo on Thursday, Kpler data showed.

Separately, the Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanourios I entered the Gulf via the strait on Wednesday in a second attempt to transit, according to the data. The tanker was among several vessels that tried to enter the Gulf on Sunday during the US-Iran ceasefire deal.
It is heading to Iraq to load Basra crude for Vietnam's Nghi Son refinery, according to the data and trade sources.

Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, which manages the Agios Fanourios I, and Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical did not immediately respond to requests for comment.