Three supertankers loaded with oil left the waterway amid the global energy crisis, shipping data shows.
Published on 12 April 2026
Three supertankers loaded with oil have passed through the Strait of Hormuz amid a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to shipping data.
Iran’s blockade of the strait, which is a barrier to about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices soaring since the start of the US and Israel’s war on Iran in late February.
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On Saturday, the Liberia-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC) Serifos, and the China-flagged VLCCs Kosperl Lake and He Rong Hai, departed from the “Hormuz Passage trial anchorage”, which bypasses Iran’s Larak Island, data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) showed.
Each ship is capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil.
The Serifos, which is chartered by Thai state-owned energy firm PTT, is one of seven ships for which Malaysia has sought approval from Iran to transit the strait, according to data from LSEG and analytics firm Kpler, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.
The tanker, which arrived carrying crude from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in early March, is expected to arrive at Malaysia’s port of Malacca on April 21, according to LSEG and Kpler data.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry, PTT and Malaysian state energy firm Petronas did not respond to requests for comment sent outside office hours on Sunday.
Another tanker, Ocean Thunder, loaded with Iraqi crude and chartered by a unit of Petronas, passed through the waterway last week.
The Casper Lake laden with Iraqi oil is expected to arrive at east China’s Zhoushan port on May 1, LSEG data shows.
It was unclear where He Rong Hai would offload the Saudi crude.
Both VLCCs are chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese energy giant Sinopec, the data showed.
Sinopec did not respond to a request for comment outside office hours.
Hundreds of tankers are still stuck in the gulf, waiting to be taken out during the two-week ceasefire period.
LSEG data shows that three other empty tankers – Mombasa B, Agios Fanarios I and Shalamar – were sailing through the strait on Sunday to enter the gulf and load oil.
According to the data, the Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanarios I indicated it was heading to Iraq to load Basra crude for Vietnam.
Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, which manages Agios Fanarios I and Cmb.Tech NV, manager of the Liberia-flagged VLCC Mombasa B, did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside office hours.
Pakistan National Shipping, which manages the tanker Shalamar, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
