Reuters: US blockade forces Iranian oil tankers to turn back

Six tankers carrying Iranian oil have been forced to return to Iran in recent days as a result of the US blockade, according to ship-tracking data, cited by Reuters.

Before the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, between 125 and 140 vessels transited the strait daily. In the past 24 hours, however, only seven ships have passed through, according to data from Kpler and satellite analysis by SynMax, with none transporting oil destined for global markets.

The vessels affected include the Iranian-flagged dry bulk carrier Bavand, which departed from an Iranian port, as well as other ships leaving Iraqi ports.

Iran has imposed its own restrictions on shipping through the strait, while the United States announced a blockade targeting Iran-linked maritime traffic on April 13. Since then, US forces have turned back 37 vessels, according to a military statement issued on April 25.

The Strait of Hormuz typically handles around 20% of global daily oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Traffic has remained sharply reduced as negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled nearly two months into the conflict.

The US military has not disclosed a detailed breakdown of the types of ships intercepted or the precise locations of these actions.

“Iran has attacked and detained ships for not adhering to its required transit requirements, while the U.S. has continued to enforce its blockade,” ship broker Clarksons said in a note on Monday.

Satellite analysis from TankerTrackers.com estimates that the six tankers forced back to Iranian ports were carrying approximately 10.5 million barrels of oil.

While some vessels in the Gulf of Oman were instructed by US forces to turn back, others were allowed to proceed. Data shows that two tankers carrying around four million barrels of Iranian oil managed to pass the blockade on April 24 en route to Asia.

Meanwhile, four empty Iranian tankers returning from Asia were last observed near Pakistan’s coast.

Analysts say US forces have been diverting Iran-linked ships as far east as the Strait of Malacca, leaving uncertainty over whether some cargoes will ultimately reach buyers or be redirected back to Iran.

The disruption has also left hundreds of vessels and an estimated 20,000 seafarers stranded inside the Gulf.

Those seafarers are “exposed to significant risks and considerable psychological strain,” said Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization.

“The longer this situation goes on, the greater the risk of serious accidents, including environmental accidents.”

By Tamilla Hasanova