Greek Vessel Laden with Saudi Oil Sails through Hormuz
A Greek‑operated oil tanker has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, ship tracking data showed on Monday, in a sign that some commercial vessels are still attempting to navigate the vital passage despite the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
The Shenlong Suezmax, with a capacity of 1 million barrels, is carrying Saudi Arabian crude loaded at the port of Ras Tanura and is listing its destination as the Indian port of Mumbai, according to analysis from maritime data platforms Kpler, Lloyd’s List Intelligence and MarineTraffic.
The tanker last recorded its position inside the strait on March 8, before updating its location as heading for India.
Hundreds of ships remain anchored on both sides of the waterway as oil and shipping markets watch for any sign that sailings might pick up through the narrow corridor, which handles a large share of global crude flows.
A senior official with Iran's Revolutionary Guards has said the strait is closed and Iran will fire on any ship trying to pass, Iranian media reported last week.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's key oil transit chokepoints, carrying roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
An official with the vessel's Athens-based manager Dynacom Tankers declined to comment, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
Oil prices surged to more than $119 a barrel on Monday, hitting levels not seen since mid-2022 as some Gulf producers cut supplies and fears of prolonged shipping disruption gripped the market.
"All parties without exception, and I repeat, without exception, must respect the freedom of navigation," Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations' shipping agency, said on Monday.
"I must express my grave concern regarding the recent attacks on merchant vessels in the region of the Strait of Hormuz," he told an IMO meeting in London.
The Shenlong sailing follows a separate voyage by the Pola, another vessel managed by Dynacom, which crossed through Hormuz last week to load a crude cargo at a port in the United Arab Emirates.
The vessel was anchored within the UAE's exclusive economic zone, which extends up to 24 miles and beyond local territorial limits of 12 nautical miles, MarineTraffic data showed on Monday.
A shipping source familiar with the matter said that according to tracking data, many ships were turning their AIS ship tracking transponders off before crossing the strait, which included Dynacom vessels.
"Navigation through the corridor remains open, but activity may continue at reduced levels as shipping companies adapt to the prevailing security and insurance environment," maritime analytics specialists Signal Group said in a note on Monday.
"At this stage, the situation reflects a commercial response to uncertainty rather than any formal restriction on transit." Two oil products tankers with links to Iran made separate voyages through Hormuz in recent days, according to analysis from Kpler and Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
At least five tankers laden with around 11 million barrels of crude have left Iranian ports since airstrikes on Iran began on February 28, with liquefied petroleum gas supplies also moving, ship trackers and traders said on Friday.
Four separate supertankers, each carrying 2 million barrels of oil and operated by Iranian tanker group NITC - which is under sanctions and linked to the elite Revolutionary Guards - arrived in waters around Singapore on Monday after sailing from Iran before February 28, according to analysis from U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic through ship and satellite tracking.
(Reuters)
