Tankers Transit Strait of Hormuz Amid US Attempt to Impose Blockade, Data Shows

Tuesday, 14 April 2026 10:15 AM

Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, where the US military attempts to enforce a naval blockade on all Iranian ports. (Photo by AP)

Shipping data indicates that three Iran-linked tankers entered the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the first day of a US attempt to impose blockade targeting vessels that call at Iranian ports.

The blockade was announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday after peace talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad ended without an agreement.

According to LSEG data, the Panama-flagged medium range tanker Peace Gulf is sailing to Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates. Kpler data shows the ship is typically involved in transporting Iranian naphtha—a petrochemical feedstock—to non-Iranian ports in West Asia for onward shipment to Asia.

Earlier, two US-sanctioned vessels also passed through the critical waterway.

The Handy size tanker Murlikishan is heading toward Iraq to load fuel oil on April 16, according to Kpler. Formerly named MKA, the vessel has previously carried both Russian and Iranian crude.

Another sanctioned tanker, Rich Starry, is expected to be the first to leave the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz since the blockade purportedly took effect, based on LSEG and Kpler data.

The ship and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co. Ltd., have been sanctioned by the United States for dealings with Iran.

Abbas Araghchi has warned against the perilous consequences of provocative US actions in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

LSEG data shows Rich Starry, a medium range tanker, is carrying roughly 250,000 barrels of methanol loaded at its most recent port of call, Hamriyah in the UAE. The vessel is Chinese-owned and crewed by Chinese nationals.

China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday criticized the US attempt to impose blockade on Iranian ports as “dangerous and irresponsible,” saying the move would increase regional tensions. It did not specify whether any Chinese vessels were transiting the strait.