An aerial view shows an oil factory of Idemitsu Kosan Co. in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan November 12, 2021, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Picture taken on November 12, 2021. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
By Katya Golubkova and Kantaro Komiya
TOKYO, April 28 (Reuters) – Panama-flagged tanker Idemitsu Maru, carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil, is attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, LSEG shipping data showed on Tuesday, and is poised to be the first Japan-linked crude tanker to do so since the Iran war began.
Before the U.S.-Iran conflict broke out on February 28 and disrupted Middle East crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, Japan relied on the region for 95% of its oil imports, much of it coming via the Strait of Hormuz.
The move comes as Japan’s recent diplomatic efforts to safeguard energy supplies were disrupted by the war.
Earlier in April, the Sohar LNG tanker co-owned by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines 9104.T and the Mitsui-owned LPG tanker 8031.T, Green Sanvi, crossed the strait.
Idemitsu Maru, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), is managed by a unit of Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan 5019.T.
Idemitsu Kosan declined to comment on individual ships.
The vessel was 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) east of Larak Island and moving eastward with its Automatic Identification System active, separate data from MarineTraffic showed.
HORMUZ TRAFFIC STAYS MUTED
Between 125 and 140 ships crossed in and out of the strait daily before February 28, but only two had sailed in the past day, including a general cargo ship Gulf King that sailed from Iran’s Bandar Abbas anchorage and the Axion I liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker, which is subject to US sanctions, according to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax.
An LNG tanker managed by UAE’s ADNOC crossed Hormuz and was near India, ship-tracking data showed on Monday. If confirmed, it would be the first loaded LNG tanker to cross the strait since the war began. It was unclear when it sailed.
If Hormuz were to reopen by “tomorrow, we suggest that it will take until at least September for tanker and oil markets to return to something resembling ‘normal,'” ship broker BRS said in a note this week.
U.S. President Donald Trump is unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal on resolving the two-month war, a U.S. official said, dampening hopes for a resolution soon.
(Reporting by Katya Golubkova, Kentaro Okasaka, Kantaro Komiya and Mariko Katsumura in Tokyo, Florence Tan in Singapore and Jonathan Saul in LondonEditing by Bernadette Baum)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026.
This article contains reporting from Reuters, published under license.
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