Two Tankers Break Through Strait of Hormuz Using Iran’s Approved Route

After nearly three months of vessels sitting stranded, two oil tankers have finally moved through the Strait of Hormuz using a transit corridor Iran itself laid out.

Tankers Finally Move After Months-Long Blockade

Two vessels tanker Fuwairit and supertanker Eagle Verona used the transit route that Iran designated for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. They became among the very few supertankers to exit the Persian Gulf this month moving through a corridor that Iran ordered all ships to follow.

The Fuwairit, owned by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, carries liquefied natural gas loaded in Qatar. It headed toward Pakistan, where it was expected to unload on Tuesday. The Eagle Verona chartered by a unit of Chinese energy giant Sinopec carries crude oil sourced from Iraq. That vessel is due to dock at the Chinese port of Ningbo on June 12.

Also Read | Rubio Puts Two Clear Options on the Table for Resolving the US–Iran Standoff

Iran Drew the Map and Ships Are Following It

Iran’s military released a map on May 4 marking zones it claims to control around the Strait of Hormuz. The map also outlined the specific route vessels must take to pass through. To the west of the strait, Iran’s so-called “control zone” runs along a line from the western tip of Iran’s Qeshm Island to a point east of the UAE city of Umm Al Quwain. To the east of the strait, the boundary runs from the Iranian settlement of Kuh-Mobarak down to a point south of the Emirati city of Fujairah.

Ships following the corridor are, in effect, operating on Iran’s terms a stark shift in how one of the world’s most critical waterways now functions.

Also Read | Rubio Says Washington Has Strong Odds of Locking In a Temporary Nuclear Deal With Tehran

Global Fuel Prices Feel the Pressure

The escalating tensions around Iran have led to what amounts to a near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. That strait serves as the key shipping lane for oil and LNG exports from Gulf states to global markets. The slowdown hit both export volumes and crude production levels hard. Across most countries worldwide, fuel prices and the cost of industrial goods have risen sharply as a result.