Shipping activity in the Strait of Hormuz gathers pace as more stranded tankers finally resume departures.
Dubai: More oil and liquefied natural gas tankers are beginning to move through the Strait of Hormuz, offering the clearest indication yet that limited commercial shipping activity is gradually resuming after nearly three months of severe disruption triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Shipping data reviewed by Reuters showed that two LNG tankers crossed out of the Persian Gulf on Monday bound for Pakistan and China, while a supertanker carrying Iraqi crude for China exited the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after being stranded since February.
The renewed vessel activity has fuelled speculation in global energy markets over whether the Strait of Hormuz is effectively reopening — though the situation remains far from straightforward.
LNG cargoes begin moving again
Before the conflict began on February 28, shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz averaged between 125 and 140 vessel passages per day. Reuters reported that only a limited number of supertankers have managed to exit the Gulf this month.
Among the latest vessels to depart was the LNG tanker Fuwairit, which crossed the strait on Monday carrying a cargo loaded at Ras Laffan around March 28, according to LSEG and Kpler shipping data. The Bahamas-flagged vessel is expected to unload its cargo in Pakistan on Tuesday.
Another LNG tanker, Al Rayyan, also exited the strait after loading at Ras Laffan. Shipping data showed the vessel outside the Hormuz passage between Iran and Oman after it was last tracked inside the Gulf on May 22. It is expected to arrive in China in late June.
Separately, the Very Large Crude Carrier Eagle Verona exited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude bound for Ningbo in eastern China.
The Singapore-flagged vessel, chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Sinopec, had loaded the cargo around February 26 before remaining stranded in the Gulf for almost three months.
Tighter transits
Reuters previously reported that Eagle Verona was among seven vessels for which Malaysia had sought transit permission from Iran. Five of those ships have since exited the Gulf, while two remain inside.
Last week, three VLCCs transported approximately 6 million barrels of crude through the strait to China and South Korea, further signalling that regional energy flows are gradually resuming under tightly controlled conditions.
According to Reuters reporting, Iran has effectively tightened control over shipping movements through the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began. Tehran introduced checkpoints, vessel screening procedures, and in some cases transit fees after attacks on commercial shipping escalated earlier this year.
The disruption created what the International Energy Agency described as the largest energy supply crisis in modern history due to the near-closure of the vital waterway.
Despite signs of renewed vessel activity, industry leaders caution that global oil and gas flows remain far from fully stabilised.
Stranded seafarers
The crisis has also left around 20,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels still trapped inside the Persian Gulf, according to Reuters.
Reuters further reported that Iran’s expanded oversight now extends beyond the narrow Strait of Hormuz passage itself, with Tehran reportedly considering parts of the UAE’s Gulf of Oman coastline within its operational sphere, increasing pressure on alternative export routes.
This includes the UAE’s Fujairah oil export corridor, which has become a critical route allowing some Emirati crude shipments to bypass Hormuz entirely.
Jaber described the blockade as a “dangerous precedent” for global trade and maritime security, warning that allowing a single country to control one of the world’s most important waterways could undermine the principle of freedom of navigation.
For now, the movement of a limited number of LNG tankers and crude carriers suggests that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer completely paralysed.
However, shipping volumes remain well below normal levels, insurers continue to exercise caution, and global energy markets are still pricing in prolonged geopolitical risks across the Gulf region.
