Three oil supertankers, including two Chinese vessels and one Greek, have begun transiting the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first significant movement of crude through the critical waterway since a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran was announced days ago. If all three complete the eight-hour journey on Saturday, it would represent the largest single-day oil exit from the region since conflict halted traffic in early March.
The two Chinese supertankers, identified as the Cospearl Lake and the He Rong Hai, are loaded with crude from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, respectively, while the Greek vessel, the Serifos, also carrying Saudi crude, is signaling a destination of Malacca, Malaysia—a key waypoint for Asian routes.
Together, these tankers have a combined capacity of about 6 million barrels, a substantial volume but still only half the normal daily flow through Hormuz during peacetime. The resumption of traffic is a critical step for global oil markets, which have lost millions of barrels of supply due to the waterway’s closure.
This movement comes after nearly all traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, stopped on February 28 when hostilities erupted. Iran, which exported at a rate of 1.7 million barrels per day last month, has dominated the limited crude exits during the conflict. Tehran has stipulated that vessels must obtain permission to sail and follow a northerly route through Iranian waters near Qeshm and Larak Islands, diverging from traditional southern shipping lanes.
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The Chinese tankers are the first from the Asian nation observed exporting crude from the region during this conflict, offering a lifeline to Beijing, which has felt the squeeze of disrupted supply. A third Chinese tanker, not signaling on Saturday, was also spotted waiting nearby before the others departed the Persian Gulf.
Peace talks between the US and Iran are slated to occur in Islamabad in the coming days, a development that could further stabilize the region. For now, the physical oil market remains under pressure, and the successful passage of these tankers could ease some of that strain.
Digital ship-tracking data, while occasionally prone to manipulation, indicates consistent and genuine movement for all three vessels. The combined capacity of the Cospearl Lake, He Rong Hai, and Serifos underscores the potential for a meaningful, if limited, return of supply, with the 6 million barrels representing a tangible step toward normalcy.
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