Chinese Tankers Pass Strait of Hormuz

Two Chinese supertankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, apparently signaling the first resumption of oil tanker departures from the Persian Gulf since the US-Iran truce, according to shipping data.

The vessels are the Cospearl Lake and the He Rong Hai, chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese refining giant Sinopec.

Both ships reportedly entered and left the Hormuz Passage anchorage, following a route that bypassed Iran’s Larak Island. The movements suggest that traffic through one of the world’s most sensitive energy arteries may be at least partially resuming after tensions in the region.

(reuters, pir)