Strait of Hormuz reopening gradually as 12 tankers transit after US-Iran framework deal

At least 12 named tankers have crossed, exited or returned through the Strait of Hormuz, or the former US blockade line in the area in recent days, in the clearest sign yet that commercial energy traffic is beginning to recover after the Washington-Tehran framework agreement.

The latest movements came on Thursday, when three Saudi oil supertankers reappeared outside the Strait of Hormuz after last being spotted in the Gulf two months ago, while an Iranian products tanker also passed through the waterway, according to data analytics company Kpler.

The Saudi vessels were identified as Awtad, Jaham and Shaden.

Awtad, loaded with 2 million barrels of Saudi crude, passed through the Strait of Hormuz and exited the Gulf en route to South Korea, while Shaden and Jaham are believed to be carrying Saudi crude and are estimated to have passed through the strait with their signals switched off before appearing in the Gulf of Oman.

The Iranian products tanker Viraj, carrying around 27,500 barrels of contaminated petroleum products from Iran’s Bandar Imam Khomeini port, also passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday and was heading toward the United Arab Emirates.

Qatar also brought an empty liquefied natural gas tanker back into the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the war on Iran began, signaling that the key LNG producer is preparing to ramp up exports.

The Al Hamla, owned by Qatar’s state-owned shipping company, appeared at the Ras Laffan export plant on Thursday, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The vessel had stopped sending a signal near western India about a week earlier.

The movement adds to earlier LNG-related transits through the waterway. The Malta-flagged LNG tanker Disha crossed Hormuz on Monday after loading in Qatar, while the French-flagged LNG carrier Mraikh, also moved through the strait from the Persian Gulf on Thursday.

The passages followed earlier movements by Iran-linked crude tankers. Several Iran-linked oil tankers reappeared on ship-tracking systems near the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea blockade boundary after the US-Iran framework deal, with MarineTraffic saying laden tankers reactivated their automatic identification system, or AIS, signals after loading crude at Iran’s Kharg Island earlier this year.

The very large crude carriers Hero II and Diona, each carrying around 2 million barrels of crude, were sailing southeast and appeared to have moved past the Gulf of Oman-Arabian Sea blockade boundary. The Suezmax tanker Sonia I followed a similar outbound route, while another laden vessel, Amber, reactivated AIS near the eastern mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, though limited movement data was available.

Other publicly tracked tanker movements included the products tanker Ye Chi and Tong Lin Wan, both reported around the Hormuz route on Thursday.

Gradual reopening

The latest vessel activity suggests tanker operators are cautiously testing the route after weeks of uncertainty, but it does not yet point to a full normalization of traffic.

Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been sharply disrupted since Feb. 28 amid the US/Israel-Iran war. Before the conflict, an average of around 130 ships passed through the strait daily, but that figure fell by more than 90%, according to calculations by an Anadolu correspondent. Around 1,000 commercial vessels passed through the strait in the 100 days of the war, equal to an average of about 10 vessels per day.

Under the 14-point framework, Iran is expected to make all possible efforts and arrangements to ensure commercial vessels can pass between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman safely and free of charge for 60 days, while the sides hold negotiations toward a final deal.

Despite the recent tanker movements, shipping risks remain elevated. Many vessels transiting the strait have either followed the designated Iranian route within Iranian territorial waters or switched off AIS while crossing the waterway, making full traffic levels difficult to verify in real time.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most important energy routes, linking crude, fuel and LNG shipments from Gulf producers to global markets. Its gradual reopening is being closely watched by oil, gas, shipping and insurance markets after months of disrupted Gulf exports.