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A Malta-flagged crude carrier has become the first vessel to transit westward through the Strait of Hormuz since a US naval blockade on Iranian ports took effect, offering a cautious signal that some commercial shipping may be resuming through one of the world's most strategically vital energy corridors.
The very large crude carrier Agios Fanourios I entered the Persian Gulf in the early hours of Wednesday after waiting nearly two days at anchor in the Gulf of Oman. According to maritime tracking firm MarineTraffic, the vessel switched its AIS status from anchored to underway at 2128 GMT on April 14, crossed the strait at 0151 GMT and entered the Persian Gulf at 0236 GMT. The ship is expected to reach Basrah, Iraq, by Thursday.
The transit comes after the United States announced a naval blockade on Iranian ports on Monday, following the collapse of weekend negotiations between Washington and Tehran. While the blockade is designed to target Iranian port access rather than broader Gulf shipping, it has nonetheless sharply curtailed vessel traffic through the strait and deepened uncertainty for tanker operators worldwide.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is the world's most critical oil transit chokepoint. Under normal conditions, roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas flows pass through it, making any sustained disruption a serious threat to international energy markets.
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