A Chinese tanker sanctioned by the United States passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday despite a U.S. blockade on the chokepoint, shipping data showed.
The vessel, Rich Starry, appears to be the first sanctioned tanker to successfully navigate the strait and exit the Gulf since the blockade was imposed amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. Data from LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group), MarineTraffic and Kpler showed the tanker carrying roughly 250,000 barrels of methanol after loading at the UAE’s Hamriyah port.
China Tests Limits
The development comes as United States enforces a naval blockade targeting Iranian-linked shipping following failed ceasefire talks in the ongoing conflict. The strait has become the focal point of a widening economic and military standoff.
The tanker and its owner Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd were sanctioned by the United States for dealing with Iran. The company could not be immediately reached for comment.
Chinese-linked tankers have begun cautiously resuming transit via what analysts describe as an Iranian-controlled “tollbooth” system, an informal mechanism that allows select vessels to pass, often under strict conditions or payments. This system has effectively turned the chokepoint into a politically managed corridor, with Iran exerting leverage over which ships can pass.
The Chinese-owned tanker has Chinese crew on board, the data showed.
Rising Stakes for Global Energy Flows
Another U.S.-sanctioned tanker Murlikishan also headed into the strait on Tuesday, LSEG data showed. The empty handysize tanker is expected to load fuel oil at Iraq on April 16, Kpler data showed. The vessel, formerly known as MKA, has transported Russian and Iranian oil.
Beijing has warned that restrictions on the strait threaten global economic stability and energy security, even as its ships test the limits of U.S. enforcement.
(With inputs from Reuters)
