#BREAKING
Japanese vessel transits Strait of Hormuz, as crossings remain at near standstill 🚨
A Japanese-flagged oil tanker has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to marine tracking data, one of a handful of ships that have traversed the choked waterway in recent days.
Earlier on Tuesday, a VLCC tanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil “successfully crossed” the strait, vessel tracker MarineTraffic posted on X. “Japanese shipowners have historically taken a highly cautious stance on regional security risks, making this voyage a notable signal of measured confidence,” the tracker said, citing analysis from trade analytics firm Kpler.
The vessel, owned by the Tokyo-based petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan, traversed the channel “in coordination with Iran,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. It initially left a port in the Saudi Arabian city of Ras Tanura on April 17, Tasnim News Agency added.
The US-Israeli war on Iran and retaliatory strikes by Tehran prompted regional unrest and splintered shipping lanes through the key strait – the route via which one fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies was previously transported. Iran’s blockade on non-allied boats there and a US-led charge to stop vessels emerging from Iranian ports has caused global energy costs to spike, while trapping thousands of seafarers inside the channel.
At least 130 ships passed through the strait per day before hostilities flared in February. But this morning, just six ships were attempting to cross, MarineTraffic said earlier.