(Bloomberg) — At least two U.S.-linked vessels linked to Iran pushed through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf on Thursday, a possible new route from the United Arab Emirates, even as the U.S. blockade enters its third day.
Ship owners, energy traders and investors are closely watching transits through the strait for signs of how Tehran and Washington are exerting control over one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors. Since the United States began banning the traffic, only a handful of vessels have crossed — in large part because crews now have to clear not one, but two navies to ensure safe passage for themselves and their cargo.
The liquefied petroleum gas carrier G Summer entered the Persian Gulf by passing between Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands late Wednesday afternoon, ship tracking data showed. The empty tanker broadcast that it had Chinese ownership and crew – a frequent security precaution – and listed the Iraqi port of Khor Al Zubair as its destination.
The very large oil tanker Hong Lu – which, like G Summer, was blacklisted by Washington for its ties to Iran – passed through the islands shortly afterwards. The VLCC, which can carry up to two million barrels of oil, is unloaded and is now sailing west along Iran’s coast. It briefly signaled Basra, Iraq, as a target, but now indicates it is awaiting orders.
G Summer and Hong Lu arrived from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week, then moved northeast across the Gulf of Oman to the Iranian coast on Wednesday and then north to Hormuz – an unusually convoluted route.
A few hours ahead of them, the bulk carrier Rosalina had left on the same route, signaling that it was heading to an Iranian port with food.
A few hours later, the small tanker Nobler crossed the strait to the east into the Gulf of Oman. It has sailed south of Larak Island from Hormuz and marks Oman’s Sohar as its destination. The vessel entered the Persian Gulf in early February and remained there during the seven-week conflict.
Nobler’s departure from the Persian Gulf follows two container ships linked to Iran. On Wednesday, Golbon and Kashan appeared to leave the Persian Gulf and hug Iran’s coast as they headed toward its border with Pakistan.
While the dual blockade has not halted traffic, transits have slowed to a trickle and no loaded Iranian oil tankers appear to be making their way through Hormuz — an absence that threatens the war’s flow of around 1.7 million barrels a day but could indicate a desire to avoid confrontation. However, electronic jamming and the practice of switching off transponders mean that not all passes can be recorded.
U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that no vessels had passed its blockade and that nine of them had complied with U.S. forces’ instructions to return toward Iran. Meanwhile, Tehran claimed that one of its own oil supertankers had breached the US blockade. Although it did not name the ship, it could be a reference to the Alicia, a US-sanctioned empty ship that made an inbound transit and passed Iran’s Larak Island on Wednesday hours before the Hong Lu.
Ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg showed 11 commercial vessels crossed on Tuesday, though an average of 16 over the weekend, ahead of the US blockade. That’s relatively high for weeks of conflict, but still well below pre-war levels of about 135 a day on average.
G Summer is owned and operated by Seaport-Glory Marine Co. Ltd. based in Hong Kong, according to the Equasis database. There was no contact information for the company. The database did not identify the Hong Lu’s manager and owner, a common feature of Dark Fleet vessels.
Pacific Dream Shipping is listed as the owner of Rosalina but has no known contact information. It shares the same address in Monaco as Sea World Management itself, which did not immediately respond to an email and call seeking comment outside regular business hours.
Nobler’s owner, Ruisheng Ship Management Ltd., uses the same address as its manager, Qingdao Shengxiang Shipping Co. based in China. Qingdao Shengxiang did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.
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