- Iranian VLCC, blacklisted by US, crossed Strait of Hormuz amid blockade
- Iranian consulate in Mumbai confirmed the ship sailed openly with tracker on
- US announced blockade of all ships from Iranian ports, interdicting vessels
Despite a US military blockade, a very large Iranian crude carrier (VLCC), blacklisted by the United States, has crossed the Strait of Hormuz to reach Iranian shores, the consulate general of Iran in Mumbai said in a post on X. The United States has said it would not allow any vessel to move from international waters toward Iran's coastline or dock at its ports.
The Iranian consulate said the supertanker -- capable of carrying up to 2 million barrels of crude -- kept its tracking system on throughout the journey, effectively challenging US sanctions and threats, and reached its destination without any interference, the post said.
"An Iranian VLCC supertanker, blacklisted by the US, sailed openly with its tracker on, crossed international waters and the Strait of Hormuz, and reached Iranian shores without concealment," the post read.
US Hormuz Blockade
The development came after the US said it has begun what it calls a blockade of any and all ships originating in Iranian ports and would interdict every vessel that has paid a toll to Iran.
The US Central Command has said the blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented. "An estimated 90 per cent of Iran's economy is fuelled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea."
Since the war in Iran started, Tehran has been shipping its oil and goods freely through the narrow waterway, while sharply curbing seaborne traffic from other nations, especially those deemed unfriendly by the Islamic Republic.
2 Ships Breach Blockade
Earlier, data from a maritime tracking firm, Kpler, showed that at least two ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Christianna transited the strategic strait after unloading corn at the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini and passed Iran's Larak Island around 1600 GMT on Monday, which was two hours after the US' blockade came into effect.
A second ship, the Comoros-flagged tanker Elpis, was near Larak Island around 1100 GMT and cleared the strait about 1600 GMT, the data showed. It was carrying 31,000 tonnes of methanol and left the Iranian port of Bushehr on March 31.
