ExclusiveHong Kong-flagged oil tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz amid US blockade

An oil tanker sailing under the flag of Hong Kong has passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Gulf of Oman, as a US blockade continues to target vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports, according to a maritime data firm. The tanker, AVA 6, departed from a port in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, Beijing time. It passed through the Strait of Hormuz sometime between 4am and 2pm on Thursday, according to data from Mingkun Technology, a Chinese maritime information provider based in Chongqing. The tanker was anchored near Sohar Port in Oman on Friday, the Chinese firm said. While the American blockade is focused on shipping to and from Iranian ports, Tehran has warned that it could retaliate by targeting ports in neighbouring Gulf countries. The safe passage of the Hong Kong-flagged ship indicates that tensions may be easing as both sides work towards a second round of peace talks. On Friday night, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz was completely open for commercial ships. “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of [the] ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Araghchi said on social media. US President Donald Trump thanked Iran for the action but also said the US naval blockade would “remain in full force and effect” until Iran and the US had reached a deal. The transit is also significant given that vessels are taking a cautious approach at this sensitive time, according to a Chinese analyst. The tanker’s transit was also indicated by vessel-tracking website MarineTraffic, which showed the oil and chemical tanker arriving in the Gulf of Oman after leaving the UAE. The registered owner of AVA 6 is Hong Kong-based Standwill Shipping Ltd, according to shipping data and software firm MagicPort. Standwill Shipping could not be reached for comment. It is not clear if the vessel is operated or managed by other companies, which is not uncommon in shipping. MarineTraffic data listed the vessel’s reported destination as Sohar, Oman. The tracking company noted that it was still unclear whether the Hong Kong-flagged AVA 6 had breached or challenged the US blockade, despite making it through the strait. “The blockade area is located roughly in the Gulf of Oman, so it cannot be said that the ship passed through the blockade,” the Chongqing-based company said. According to the Chinese tracking company, of the six ships monitored entering or departing the Strait of Hormuz within the 24-hour period until 5pm Thursday, the AVA 6 was the only one under a Chinese-linked flag. The AVA 6 was one of three ships leaving the strait. The other two carried flags of the Bahamas and Comoros. The tanker has an overall length of 180.07 metres (591 feet) and a beam of 32.23 metres, according to vessel records. US President Donald Trump announced the blockade via social media on Sunday after weekend talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad, Pakistan, ended without a deal. The US military’s Central Command subsequently said the blockade would be enforced impartially on vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and the country’s coastal areas along the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. US forces were “focused, vigilant and highly motivated” in executing the blockade and, after 72 hours of enforcement, 14 vessels had turned around to comply with the blockade at the direction of American forces, the command said on social media on Thursday. Reuters reported that shipping through the strait had slowed to a trickle compared with the more than 130 daily crossings usually seen before the war began on February 28. The AVA 6 passage marked at least the second transit of a China-linked tanker through the strait since the US blockade began. The Rich Starry, a Chinese tanker under US sanctions, reportedly sailed east through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday but later reversed course and returned through the strait, according to the Chongqing-based tracker. On Friday, the Rich Starry was reportedly in the Persian Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data. Yue Gang, a retired People’s Liberation Army colonel and military commentator, said the AVA 6’s transit suggested that those vessels that complied with the US and Iranian rules would be allowed to pass through the strait and continue normal commercial operations. “The United States is not imposing the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, it is targeting vessels engaged in trade with Iran as part of efforts to exert economic pressure on Tehran,” Yue said. “This tanker does not fall within the scope of those restrictions, which is why it was able to sail through the strait,” he said, adding that thousands of vessels remained effectively stranded in the Persian Gulf, as commercial operators sought to minimise risk. On Thursday, US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Dan Caine said the US was blockading Iran’s ports and coastline, not the strait. Yue said the reported US enforcement zone, which was positioned away from the narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz, was to avoid Iran’s attacks. “This is likely to prevent exposure to Iranian anti-ship missiles and drones,” he said.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}AVA 6 passage marks at least the second transit of a China-linked tanker through the waterway since the US military operation began

AVA 6 passage marks at least the second transit of a China-linked tanker through the waterway since the US military operation began