Marine navigation information showed that the oil tanker Rich Stary, which is subject to US sanctions, returned to the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. The tanker had left the Gulf the day before, but was unable to bypass the American blockade imposed on ships docking in Iranian ports.
US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of the blockade on Sunday, after the Islamabad talks between the United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement at the beginning of the week.
The US Central Command announced through its account on “X” that no ship was able to cross the blockade during the first twenty-four hours, and indicated that six ships responded to the orders of the American forces and returned to Iranian ports.
The data showed that the Chinese tanker was among at least eight ships that crossed the waterway on Tuesday, the first day of the American blockade. An American official confirmed that an American destroyer on Tuesday stopped two oil tankers that were trying to leave the Iranian port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman.
It is noteworthy that the United States has imposed sanctions on Rich Starry and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Company, due to their dealings with Iran, and there was no immediate comment from the company.
According to data from the London Stock Exchange Group and Kpler, no Iranian tankers carrying crude oil for export have crossed the strait since the United States imposed control over it.
Consulting firm FGE Nexant reported that Iran has an untapped onshore crude oil storage capacity of about 90 million barrels, which could allow it to support its current production of 3.5 million barrels per day for about two months if exports stop. The company added that reducing production by about 500,000 barrels per day to 3 million barrels per day may extend this period to about three months.
In a similar context, data showed that the giant oil tanker “Alesia”, which is also subject to US sanctions, will enter the Gulf through the strait on Wednesday, heading to Iraq to load an oil shipment. At the same time, the “Agios Fanourios 1” tanker registered in Malta entered the Gulf in a second attempt to cross, heading to Iraq to load Basra crude for the Vietnamese “Nghe Son” refinery.
