Supertankers carrying 6 million barrels of oil pass through Strait of Hormuz

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Supertankers pass through Strait of Hormuz

What traffic through the Strait of Hormuz looked like

Before the war began, average traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stood at 125–140 vessel passages per day. Now, hundreds of vessels remain blocked inside the Persian Gulf, with around 20,000 seafarers on board.

In recent days, traffic through the strait has fallen to roughly 10 vessels in both directions per day. These have included cargo ships, chemical tankers and liquefied petroleum gas carriers, while oil tankers still account for only a small share of the overall traffic.

Around 10 vessels crossed the strait over the past 24 hours, including small cargo ships and a chemical tanker entering the Persian Gulf, according to Kpler data and satellite analysis from SynMax.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center said the operating environment in the region remains high risk due to recent attacks on ships. The center also noted several cases of aggressive radio hailing and assertive action by Iranian units over the past 48 hours.

On Wednesday, shipping industry associations issued new guidance for vessels planning to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The document listed multiple navigational risks, including the threat of attacks, drones and mines, as well as unpredictable congestion and reduced military oversight.

The associations warned that hundreds of vessels are still unable to transit the Strait of Hormuz. If navigation conditions begin to return to normal, the simultaneous movement of a large number of vessels through the strait could create a serious navigational hazard.

Oil for China

Among the Chinese tankers leaving the region is the China-flagged VLCC Yuan Gui Yang. It loaded 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude on February 27, one day before the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The vessel, chartered by Unipec — the trading arm of Asia’s largest refiner, Sinopec — exited the strait on Wednesday and is expected to arrive at Shuidong Port in southern China’s Guangdong province on June 4.

Another tanker, the Hong Kong-flagged Ocean Lily, loaded 1 million barrels each of Qatari al-Shaheen crude and Iraqi Basrah crude in late February and early March. The vessel, owned by China’s Sinochem, is expected to arrive at Quanzhou Port in Fujian province on June 5.

Sinopec, Sinochem and Cosco Shipping, which own and manage Yuan Gui Yang, did not respond to requests for comment.

Last week, the tanker Yuan Hua Hu exited the Strait of Hormuz with 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil and headed for China’s Zhoushan Port.

Separately, LSEG data showed that the Cyprus-flagged VLCC Grand Lady entered the Strait of Hormuz with its transponder turned off. The empty tanker is anchored off Dubai. Its operator, Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, could not be reached for comment.

As a reminder, the United Kingdom eased sanctions on imports of Russian petroleum products amid supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.

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