A Chinese VLCC carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude has exited the Strait of Hormuz after more than two months stranded in the Gulf, heading to Zhoushan with an expected June 1 arrival.
Info via Reuters.
Summary:
- The VLCC Yuan Hua Hu, carrying nearly two million barrels of Iraqi Basrah Medium crude, transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being stranded in the Gulf since early March, according to LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data
- The vessel, owned and operated by COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation’s Hainan unit and chartered by Sinopec trading arm Unipec, is headed to Zhoushan and is expected to arrive on June 1
- The crossing marks the third known Chinese tanker transit of the strait since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, with two Chinese-flagged VLCCs having made the passage on April 11
- Iran has reportedly tightened control over the strait in recent days, striking deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and LNG through the waterway, with other countries said to be exploring similar arrangements
- The transit coincides with a scheduled meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and follows a visit to Beijing by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi last week
- A Chinese vehicle carrier, Xiang Jiang Kou, also passed through the strait within the same 24-hour window, broadcasting a “Chinese vessel and crew” message on its AIS transponder, per SynMax satellite analysis and MarineTraffic data
A Chinese supertanker carrying nearly two million barrels of Iraqi crude has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz after spending more than two months stranded in the Gulf, in the third known Chinese tanker transit of the critical waterway since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began in late February.
The Very Large Crude Carrier Yuan Hua Hu transited the strait on Wednesday and was tracked heading toward Zhoushan in eastern China on Thursday, with ship-tracking data from LSEG and Kpler showing an expected arrival of June 1. The vessel briefly anchored off the Gulf of Oman near the area where the U.S. Navy established a blockade on Iranian vessels on Wednesday before resuming its course.
The Yuan Hua Hu loaded its cargo of Basrah Medium crude at Iraq’s Basrah terminal in early March and had been unable to exit the Gulf since. It is owned and operated by the Hainan unit of COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation and was chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese state oil major Sinopec. Neither company responded to requests for comment.
Two other Chinese-flagged VLCCs, Cospearl Lake and He Rong Hai, made the same crossing on April 11, making the Yuan Hua Hu’s passage the third such transit on record since the conflict began. A Chinese vehicle carrier, Xiang Jiang Kou, also passed through the strait in the same 24-hour window, broadcasting an identification message on its AIS transponder identifying it as a Chinese vessel.
The transit takes place against a diplomatically charged backdrop. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet over the following two days, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi visited Beijing the previous week, signalling active diplomacy around the conflict and its impact on regional shipping.
Iran has meanwhile moved to consolidate its position over the strait, reportedly striking deals with Iraq and Pakistan to facilitate oil and liquefied natural gas shipments through the waterway. Sources familiar with the matter said other countries are exploring similar arrangements, raising concerns that Tehran may be leveraging control of the strait as a long-term geopolitical instrument rather than simply responding to the immediate pressures of the conflict.
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The passage of a third Chinese VLCC through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began is a closely watched signal for oil market participants assessing how much crude is actually moving through the chokepoint. Two million barrels of Iraqi Basrah Medium crude reaching Zhoushan by June 1 represents a modest but meaningful data point for Asian refinery supply, particularly for Sinopec, which has been without this cargo for more than two months.
Iran’s reported moves to cut transit deals with Iraq and Pakistan, potentially extending its leverage over the strait to third-party shipments, raise the risk of the waterway becoming a tool of geopolitical influence rather than a freely navigable route. If other nations follow with similar arrangements, Tehran’s structural control over a chokepoint that handles roughly a fifth of global oil flows could harden, with long-term implications for freight risk premiums and insurance costs on Gulf cargoes.
