Pakistan-flagged tanker becomes 1st crude carrier to exit Hormuz with cargo since US blockade

• Hong Kong-flagged tanker, AVA 6, also sailed through Strait of Hormuz into Gulf of Oman

A Pakistan-flagged tanker has become the first crude carrier to exit through the Strait of Hormuz with a cargo since a US blockade began earlier this week, in a rare passage that underlines how restricted traffic remains through the vital chokepoint.

Shalamar sailed out into the Gulf of Oman late Thursday after loading around 450,000 barrels of crude at the UAE, according to ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic. The vessel is signaling Karachi as its destination.

Its crossing marks the first known crude-laden tanker to leave the Gulf through Hormuz since the US blockade took effect on Monday, amid heightened risks for shipowners operating in the region.

Meanwhile, a Hong Kong-flagged tanker, AVA 6, has also sailed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman, potentially testing US restrictions on vessels linked to Iranian ports, according to South China Morning Post.

The ship departed the UAE on Wednesday and passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to maritime tracking data.

Its transit was confirmed by both a Chinese data firm and MarineTraffic.

Separately, in a parallel sign of how Asian importers are scrambling to bypass Hormuz, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday said through US social media company X that a South Korean tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia had exited the Red Sea, marking the country’s first such shipment since the Hormuz blockade.

Earlier, South Korea’s Fisheries Ministry said the vessel had safely left the Red Sea as Seoul sought to secure energy supplies through alternative routes.

Traffic through the strait has remained extremely thin since the US-Israeli strikes began on Feb. 28, with daily transits mostly staying in single digits apart from a brief rise over the weekend.

The latest US naval restrictions require shipowners to obtain clearance from both Iranian and American authorities to move oil and other goods out of the Gulf, adding to uncertainty over cargo flows.

Although three supertankers carrying non-Iranian crude managed to exit last week, very few cargoes have crossed the waterway over the past seven weeks, even before the blockade was imposed.

Shalamar had first attempted to enter the Gulf on Sunday, but turned back after US-Iran peace talks collapsed. It later completed the crossing and headed to Das Island, where it loaded crude before departing eastward on Thursday.

The US Central Command said on Thursday that 14 vessels had turned around over the previous three days, suggesting many shipowners remain unwilling to risk passage through the strait under current conditions.

The blockade reportedly stretches from the Omani coast near Ras al Hadd to the Iran-Pakistan border.

* Islamuddin Sajid contributed to this story from Islamabad.