US blockade at Strait of Hormuz halts sanctioned tankers and heightens risk

Singapore: The US-sanctioned tanker Rich Starry made its way back to the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after exiting the Gulf the day before, shipping data showed, failing to break through a US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports. US President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the US and Iran failed to reach a deal. During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade," the US Central Command said on X, adding that six vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port. The Chinese-owned tanker was among at least eight ships crossing the waterway on Tuesday, the first day of the US blockade.

A US destroyer stopped two oil tankers attempting to leave the Iranian port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, a US official said. The Rich Starry and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co, were placed under US sanctions for dealing with Iran. The company could not be reached for immediate comment. The Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol that was loaded at the port of Hamriyah in the United Arab Emirates, Kpler data showed. Another U.S.-sanctioned vessel, the Very Large Crude Carrier Alicia, is entering the Gulf via the strait on Wednesday, LSEG data showed. The empty tanker, capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, is heading to Iraq to load a cargo on Thursday, Kpler data showed. The blockade has created even further uncertainty for shippers, oil companies and war risk insurers. Traffic remains at only a fraction of the 130-plus daily crossings before the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran began on February 28, industry sources said on Tuesday.