The crude oil tanker Odessa, carrying UAE crude after passing through the Strait of Hormuz with its Automatic Identification System transponder turned off, navigates the waters at Daesan port, where it is expected to discharge crude oil, in Seosan, South Korea, May 8, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
SINGAPORE, May 13 (Reuters) – A Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude was attempting to sail through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data.
The Very Large Crude Carrier Yuan Hua Hu was past Iran’s Larak Island and was on the eastern side of the strait and heading south, the data showed.
If successful, the voyage would mark the third known passage by a Chinese oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on Feb. 28, based on available ship-tracking data.
Iran has appeared to firm up its control over the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
Other countries are exploring similar deals, sources said, in a move that could normalize Tehran’s control of the waterway on a more permanent basis.
The Chinese VLCC is owned and operated by COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation’s 600026.SS Hainan unit and chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese state oil major Sinopec 600028.SS.
COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation and Sinopec did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
The Yuan Hua Hu loaded nearly 2 million barrels of Basrah Medium crude at Iraq’s Basrah terminal in early March and has remained stranded inside the Gulf since then, according to the tracking data. It is headed to Asia.
China-flagged VLCCs Cospearl Lake and He Rong Hai exited the Strait of Hormuz on April 11.
The Yuan Hua Hu https://tmsnrt.rs/48Wjzmc
(Reporting by Siyi Liu in Singapore; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026.
This article contains reporting from Reuters, published under license.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
A second Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker is transiting the Strait of Hormuz days after the first such cargo crossed under an arrangement involving Iran and Pakistan, highlighting how cargoes are crossing the waterway on a case-by-case basis amid ongoing conflict risks.
By Stephen Stapczynski and Weilun Soon (Bloomberg) A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar appears to have transited the Strait of Hormuz, marking the country’s first export out of the...
Shipping group Maersk MAERSKb.CO beat first-quarter profit forecasts on Thursday but warned the Iran war had pushed its fuel costs up by nearly $500 million a month and that the energy crisis would persist even if a peace deal was reached.
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
