Greek Oil Tanker Exits Strait of Hormuz With Its Signal Off

By Alex Longley and Alaric Nightingale

Mar 9, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A ship hauling a million barrels of Saudi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, one of the first big tankers to leave the Persian Gulf since traffic through the chokepoint all but halted. 

The Shenlong tanker, which is operated by Greece’s Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd., switched off its transponder in the Persian Gulf on March 4 while sailing toward Hormuz and began signaling near India’s coastline on Monday morning, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg showed. 

Traffic through the strait has slowed to a trickle since the US and Israel launched the war with Iran, with Tehran retaliating by attacking several vessels in the waterway. The threat to shipping has effectively stranded a swath of the world’s most vital commodities, and prompted the US to pledge naval escorts if required, as well as insurance cover. 

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview with Fox News over the weekend that a tanker had made the journey; tracking whether more ships have crossed is complicated by vessels switching off transponders. Still, there is little sign that the overall security situation in the region has changed, with the overwhelming majority of shipping operators remaining reluctant to transit the waterway.

While unsanctioned cargoes aren’t crossing Hormuz, Iran itself has continued to ship large volumes of oil through the channel, according to TankerTrackers.com Inc. It estimates that at least 11 million to 12 million barrels of Iranian supply have moved through the waterway since the war began on Feb. 28. 

Multiple ships have been attacked in the region since hostilities broke out. Naval forces said that while there were no incidents on Sunday, it should be interpreted as a temporary lull, rather than a change of intent. The Joint Maritime Information Center said that credible threats persist to merchant shipping and offshore energy infrastructure in the area. 

A representative for Dynacom didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about its ship. 

© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.

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