In a development that escalated maritime tensions, 2 super-large oil tankers (VLCC) suddenly turned around right at the gateway to the Strait of Hormuz on April 12.
According to ship tracking data released by Bloomberg, these unloaded oil tankers abandoned their plan to enter the Persian Gulf right at the time of information that US-Iran negotiations broke down and did not achieve a breakthrough.
Marine tracking data from maritime analysts shows that 2 giant oil tankers approached the Strait of Hormuz before "suddenly changing direction and returning".
Accordingly, the oil tankers slowed down to almost completely stop, then turned 180 degrees and moved back to the Oman Bay area.
Although empty because it is en route into the Gulf to receive goods, the fact that the oil tankers in the air continue to enter the Strait of Hormuz shows that confidence in security assurances in the region has declined.
Experts believe that this move will cause sea freight insurance premiums to skyrocket again, just a few days after showing signs of stabilization thanks to the so-called "Iraqi exception" in the blockade.
Previously, data showed that 3 empty oil tankers including Mombasa B, Agios Fanourios I and Shalamar were moving into the Strait of Hormuz on April 12 to enter the Gulf area to receive goods. Among these 3 ships, Agios Fanourios I flying the Malta flag signaled that it would go to Iraq to receive Basrah oil.
Also related to maritime transport in the Middle East, according to data from the London Stock Exchange (LSEG), the VLCC Serifos ship flying the Liberian flag and 2 Chinese-flagged ships, Cospearl Lake and He Rong Hai, left the Hormuz Passage temporary anchorage, the Larak island bypass of Iran, on April 11. Each ship is capable of carrying about 2 million barrels of oil.
The Serifos ship - leased by the Thai state-owned energy company PTT, is among the 7 ships that Malaysia has asked Iran for permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, 2 well-informed sources revealed.
This ship, carrying crude oil loaded from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in early March, is scheduled to dock at Malacca port in Malaysia on April 21.
Another ship, Ocean Thunder, carrying Iraqi crude oil and leased by a unit of the Malaysian state-owned energy company Petronas, passed through this area last week.
The oil tanker Cospearl Lake, carrying Iraqi oil, is expected to dock at Zhoushan port in eastern China on May 1.
It is unclear where the He Rong Hai ship will unload crude oil loaded from Saudi Arabia.
Both of these ships were leased by Unipec - a commercial branch of China's energy corporation Sinopec.
There are still hundreds of oil tankers stranded in the Persian Gulf, waiting to leave during the 2-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.
