Oil tankers trapped after US blockade is imposed

The tanker Rich Starry, which is under US sanctions, returned to the Strait of Hormuz on April 15 after leaving the Persian Gulf the previous day. The vessel was unable to break through the blockade imposed by the United States on ships entering Iranian ports, Reuters reports.

US President Donald Trump announced the blockade on April 12 following peace talks between the United States and Iran held in Islamabad over the weekend, which ended without success.

“During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the ​U.S. blockade,” the US Central Command said, adding that six ships complied with US military instructions and turned back toward Iranian ports.

The tanker, owned by a Chinese company, was among at least eight vessels transiting the strait on April 14, the first day of the US blockade.

On April 14, a US destroyer stopped two oil tankers attempting to leave Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman, a US official said.

The Rich Starry and its owner, Shanghai-based Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co, were sanctioned by the United States for cooperation with Iran. The company could not be reached for comment.

According to Kpler, Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker carrying around 250,000 barrels of methanol, which was loaded at the port of Hamriyah in the United Arab Emirates.

The blockade has created further uncertainty for shippers, oil companies, and war risk insurers. According to industry sources, traffic on April 14 was only a fraction of the more than 130 daily transits recorded before the US–Israel war against Iran began on February 28.

Another US-sanctioned vessel, the very large crude carrier Alicia, which has been transporting Iranian oil since 2023, entered the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on April 15, according to data from Kpler and LSEG. The empty tanker, capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, is heading to Iraq to load cargo on April 16, Kpler data shows.

Data also showed that the Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanourios I entered the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on April 15 on its second attempt to complete transit. The tanker was among several vessels that attempted to enter the Persian Gulf on Sunday during the US–Iran ceasefire agreement.

According to data and trade sources, the tanker is heading to Iraq to load oil from Basra for Vietnam’s Nghi Son refinery.