US Navy turns back tanker carrying Iraqi crude after transiting Strait of Hormuz
An oil tanker carrying nearly two million barrels of Iraqi crude was turned back by the US Navy after passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports. Tehran has exempted Baghdad from its blockade of the waterway.
The Maltese-flagged Agios Fanourios I, carrying 1.99 million barrels of crude loaded from Iraq’s southern Basra port, performed a U-turn on Monday shortly after clearing the strategic waterway and entering the Gulf of Oman. The vessel had been bound for the Vietnamese port of Nghi Son, according to ship-tracking data and shipping documents cited by Bloomberg and Reuters.
PetroVietnam Oil Corporation, the trading arm of Vietnam’s state energy company, urged US authorities to allow the shipment through, warning the cargo was essential for domestic fuel supply.
The tanker had passed through the strait Sunday using a route designated by Iran, according to Tasnim News Agency, after Tehran announced Iraqi cargoes would be exempt from restrictions imposed following the US-Israeli war against Iran that began on February 28.
“This cargo is of extreme importance to Nghi Son Refinery, to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and to the Vietnamese people,” the company said in a letter sent to US military and diplomatic officials.
“NSRP's [Nghi Son Refinery] feedstock inventories are critically low; any further delay risks halting refinery throughput, with cascading consequences for millions of Vietnamese consumers, businesses, public services and industries.”
A spokesperson for United States Central Command said the vessel was redirected as part of Washington’s enforcement measures in the region.
“U.S. forces redirected the vessel as part of ongoing enforcement of the blockade against Iran,” Reuters cited the spokesperson as saying, adding that the blockade is intended to prevent maritime traffic to or from Iranian ports.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), its forces have "redirected 65 commercial vessels and disabled 4" as it continues the enforcement of the US blockade against Iran.
The incident highlights mounting pressure on Iraq’s oil exports, which have sharply declined since the outbreak of the war. Iraq exported 18.6 million barrels in March, generating $1.96 billion, down from over 99 million barrels worth $6.81 billion in February, according to Iraqi oil ministry figures.
Before the six-week conflict, Iraq produced around 4.5 million barrels per day and exported roughly 3.5 million barrels daily, with nearly 90 percent of those shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
[Source: Rûdaw English]
