Monitoring vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Nautical Movement
An LNG tanker carrying a full load traversed the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the onset of the war in Iran, according to shipping analytics company Kpler.
Traffic continues to be restricted, highlighting the waterway’s successful shutdown after US President Donald Trump indicated yesterday that he was not likely to agree to Iran’s newest proposal to resolve the conflict.
Kpler stated that it is unclear when the tanker, Mubaraz, successfully crossed the strait, as it likely disabled its transponder and reemerged near the southern Indian coast last night.
“It is possible that the ship successfully navigated the strait on the weekend of April 18-19, when several vessels, including seven LNG tankers, tried to cross, but this has not been confirmed yet,” stated Kpler senior analyst Charles Costerousse.
The ship took on its cargo at Das Island in the UAE nearly two months ago and is probably en route to an Asian nation, although its exact destination remains unclear, Kpler noted.
According to the vessel tracker MarineTraffic, only six ships were trying to navigate through the waterway this morning based on their AIS data.
They incorporated a container vessel navigating from the UAE to the Indian terminal of Nhava Sheva, two oil carriers – one coming from the Saudi port of Ras Tanura and the other from the UAE’s Hamriya Free Zone – along with an Iranian-flagged freight ship. None of them have fully traversed the strait so far, and they might still be caught in the US blockade well away from the area during their continued journey.
Ships may cease transmitting their AIS information – which shows their position — implying that additional vessels might be passing through the strait unnoticed by maritime monitors.
Xenix News reporting was contributed by Kevin Liptak.
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