2 Tankers Pass Strait of Hormuz Despite US Blockade
By Reuters | 14 Apr, 2026

Oil tankers from China and Russia passed through the Strait of Hormuz to exit the Gulf Tuesday after the 15-ship US blockade had gone into effect.

A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

A Chinese tanker sanctioned by the United States passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday despite a U.S. blockade on the chokepoint, shipping data showed.

The Rich Starry would be the first to make it through the strait and to exit the Gulf since the blockade began, data from LSEG, MarineTraffic and Kpler showed.

The tanker and its owner Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd were sanctioned by the United States for dealing with Iran. The company could not be immediately reached for comment.

Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker that is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol on board, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the United Arab Emirates' Hamriyah, the data showed.

The Chinese-owned tanker has Chinese crew on board, the data showed.

Another U.S.-sanctioned tanker Murlikishan also headed into the strait on Tuesday, LSEG data showed. The empty handysize tanker is expected to load fuel oil at Iraq on April 16, Kpler data showed. The vessel, formerly known as MKA, has transported Russian and Iranian oil.

(Reporting by Florence Tan in Singapore and Mariko Katsumura in Tokyo; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Jamie Freed)