Strait passed

Chinese tanker defies U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

A ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (file photo)(Bild: AFP/-)

Since Monday afternoon, the U.S. military has been blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz. But not all ships are deterred by the apparent presence of more than 15 U.S. warships on standby. A Chinese tanker is reported to have already passed through the strait, and another ship was in the process of doing so on Tuesday morning.

A Chinese tanker has achieved what U.S. President Donald Trump was determined to prevent: The ship has passed through the Strait of Hormuz. This is evident from data provided by LSEG, MarineTraffic, and Kpler, which track ship movements. According to them, it is the first ship to have successfully transited the strait since the U.S. began blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Chinese tanker flying an African flag
Specifically, the vessel in question is the medium-sized tanker “Rich Starry.” According to available data, the “Rich Starry” has approximately 250,000 barrels (just under 40 million liters) of methanol on board. The methanol was loaded onto the tanker at the port of Hamrija in the United Arab Emirates.

The ship is reportedly sailing under the Malawian flag, even though the African country has stated that it does not maintain a registry for ocean-going vessels, as reported by “The Economic Times.” The ship and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping, are on the U.S. sanctions list—due to trade with Iran. The ship is alleged to have helped Iran circumvent sanctions.

A ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (file photo)(Bild: AFP/-)

The Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman is a vital shipping route:

Not the only tanker there
However, the “Rich Starry” isnottheonlyship that does not take the U.S. blockade of one of the world’s most important shipping routes very seriously. The “Muslikishan” was also traveling through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday morning. The ship flies the flag of Madagascar and is also on the U.S. sanctions list. According to Kpler, the tanker is currently empty and is scheduled to load heating oil in Iraq. In the past, the “Muslikishan” has already transported Russian and Iranian oil.

“Dangerous and irresponsible”
With the blockade, the United States aims to halt all shipping traffic to and from Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. Ships that have paid a fee to Iran for passage through the strait are also to be stopped.

China has criticized the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called it a “dangerous and irresponsible action” that would further escalate tensions in the region, according to a report by CNBC.

Over 15 U.S. warships ready
The “Wall Street Journal” reports, citing a high-ranking U.S. official, that more than 15 U.S. warships are ready to support the mission. According to military representatives, the U.S. has an aircraft carrier, several guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, and other warships in the Middle East, the newspaper writes.

Some of the ships are capable of escorting merchant vessels to specific areas to keep them there. The paper quotes a former high-ranking U.S. Navy officer as estimating that the warships would likely be deployed outside the Strait of Hormuz to avoid a threat from Iran.