Chinese Containership Is First To Pay Iran For “Safe Passage” Through Strait As Iraqi Tanker Crosses With Signal Off

The blockaded Strait of Hormuz is getting progressively less “blockaded” by the day.

Over the weekend we reported that “Iran was Ready To Let Japanese Ships Use Hormuz As Chinese, Indian Tankers Already Allowed Passage.” We can now add Iraq to the growing list of nations whose vessels are transiting the infamous Strait.

An oil supertanker hauling two-million barrels of Iraq’s crude got through the Strait of Hormuz, the first vessel observed moving Baghdad’s barrels through the the vital waterway - according to Bloomberg - since it all but closed to commercial shipping because of the Iran war.

The Omega Trader, managed by Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, signaled over the past few days that it reached Mumbai. Its prior signal before reaching the Indian port city had been from inside the Persian Gulf more than ten days ago, suggesting the tanker had shut off its tracking beacon while making the transit. 

While only a few tankers have gone through since the conflict began, the transits help to alleviate what the International Energy Agency describes as the biggest supply disruption in the history of the oil market.

Many of the ships that have managed to get through Hormuz have discharged in India (the rest have proceeded onward to Singapore and “friendly” China). The nation’s government has engaged with Iranian officials to seek passage for vessels due to haul energy to the country, and one liquefied petroleum gas vessel was guided through Hormuz by the Iranian navy.

The ship’s technical manager is Mitsui OSK, according to data on the Equasis maritime database. The company didn’t respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.

Meanwhile, in a first for the Strait’s new role as Iran’s (temporary), toll road a Chinese-owned feeder containership has become the first vessel with confirmed mainland Chinese ownership to pay Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, transiting via a so-called “safe” shipping corridor near Tehran’s Larak Island, Lloyd’s List reported.

As previously reported, multiple oil tankers and containerships have made a break from the Persian Gulf in recent days. The Al Ruwais loaded naphtha from the UAE in early March and is now heading to Asia, while the Abu Dhabi-III is expected to arrive in India’s Vadinar port on Monday after also loading fuel at Ruwais. Given that a lot of ships go through with their signals off, it’s possible that other tankers will pop up having already left the Persian Gulf.