VLCC Heads for Vietnam After Hold-Up in US Blockade

Supertanker Agios Fanourios I is heading for Vietnam to discharge its Iraqi crude oil cargo after it was held by the U.S. Navy for five days in the Gulf of Oman, shipping data on LSEG showed.

The Maltese-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC) sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz on May 10 and was sailing in the Gulf of Oman before making a U-turn on May 11. It resumed its journey toward Vietnam on May 16 and is expected to arrive at the Nghi Son refinery on May 30, LSEG data showed.

The U.S. military's Central Command said last week that the vessel was redirected as part of ongoing enforcement of the blockade against Iran.

(Reuters - Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Mark Porter)