At least two Iranian vessels subject to US sanctions passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf on Thursday, apparently using a new route from the United Arab Emirates, despite a third day of US blockade.
Points of attention
- Iranian vessels subject to US sanctions have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf using a new route from the United Arab Emirates.
- Transit traffic through the usually busy Strait of Hormuz has slowed significantly due to the dual blockade imposed by Iran and the United States.
Iranian ships pass through Strait of Hormuz despite US blockade
According to vessel tracking systems, the sanctioned liquefied petroleum gas tanker G Summer entered the Persian Gulf, sailing between the Iranian islands of Larak and Qeshm late on the evening of April 15.
This empty tanker was transmitting information that it belonged to Chinese owners and indicated the Iraqi port of Khor al-Zubair as its destination.
The very large oil tanker Hong Lu — which is also under sanctions for its ties to Iran — passed between the islands shortly after and is now sailing west along the Iranian coast to Basra, Iraq.
Both ships arrived in the city of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week, and on Wednesday headed northeast through the Gulf of Oman to the Iranian coast, then north toward the Strait of Hormuz — an unusual detour.
A few hours earlier, the bulk carrier Rosalina had passed the same route, heading to an Iranian port with a cargo of food. A small oil tanker, the Nobler, crossed the strait eastward toward the Gulf of Oman a few hours later.
While the dual blockade by Iran and the US has not stopped traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, transit traffic has slowed to a minimum, and no loaded Iranian oil tankers appear to have passed through Hormuz. However, electronic jamming and the practice of turning off transponders mean that not all passages may be detected.
US Central Command said on April 15 that no ships had breached the blockade, and nine ships had followed US military orders to turn back towards Iran.
Meanwhile, Tehran said one of its oil supertankers had broken through a US blockade. Although the vessel was not named, it was likely the Alicia, an empty vessel under US sanctions that was transiting towards Iran after passing the Iranian island of Larak on Wednesday.
Ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows that 11 merchant ships passed through on Tuesday, compared with an average of 16 over the weekend before the US blockade. That's a relatively high number for the weeks of conflict, but still well below pre-war levels, which averaged about 135 ships per day.
Since the US began blocking traffic, only a few ships have sailed through — largely because crews now have to undergo inspections by not one but two navies to ensure safe passage for themselves and their cargo.
