Tankers transit Strait of Hormuz amid U.S. blockade

Shipping data shows that three tankers, including two under U.S. sanctions, transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday following the initiation of a U.S. blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports. The blockade, announced by President Donald Trump after failed peace talks in Islamabad, does not apply to these vessels as they were not bound for Iranian ports. The sanctioned tanker Rich Starry, owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd, is carrying approximately 250,000 barrels of methanol loaded in Hamriyah, UAE. Another sanctioned vessel, Murlikishan, previously known as MKA and noted for transporting Russian and Iranian oil, is heading to Iraq to load fuel oil on April 16. A third vessel, the Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, is also en route to the UAE's Hamriyah port. These movements indicate continued regional shipping activity despite the new U.S. restrictions. The affected companies have not provided comments regarding the sanctions.