A supertanker carrying Iraqi oil to China has left the Persian Gulf and crossed the US blockade line, entering the Arabian Sea, amid ongoing talks to end the US-Iran war and resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported.
According to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, the supertanker Eagle Verona has entered the Arabian Sea from the Gulf of Oman, carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil to China.
The article notes that the tankers’ exit from the Persian Gulf is under close scrutiny by the oil market, as most ships remain stranded in the area after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz following an attack by the US and Israel in late February.
The United States and Iran are gradually moving closer to an agreement to end the conflict and resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, May 24, senior US officials said the two countries were close to an agreement that would allow shipping on the waterway to resume.
President Donald Trump had earlier said that a peace deal with Iran was “basically done,” but Iran’s Fars news agency called the claim “far from reality,” without citing sources.
According to ship tracking data, the VLCC loaded cargo at the Basra oil terminal on February 28 and is now en route to the Chinese port of Ningbo, where it is scheduled to arrive on June 12.
The tanker’s departure followed that of the liquefied natural gas carrier Al Hamra, which was carrying the first shipment of deep-frozen fuel from the Persian Gulf since the start of the Iran-Iran war, bound for India.
Semi-official Iranian student news agency, citing a statement from KVIR, reported that 33 ships, including oil tankers, container ships and other commercial vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours after receiving permission from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command said in a statement on Saturday that the US Navy, which imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports in mid-April, had diverted 100 commercial vessels during the six-week blockade.
According to maritime database Equasis, the Eagle Verona is owned by Malaysian company AET Inc PTE Ltd, based in Singapore.
According to the companies' websites, AET is part of the MISC group, which in turn is a member of the PETRONAS group of companies. According to Equasis, MISC and AET share a common address in Singapore.