Three Saudi VLCCs Pass Through Strait of Hormuz, Including One Bound for Ulsan

Three Saudi Arabian very large crude carriers (VLCCs) passed through the Strait of Hormuz on June 18 (local time), according to reports from Bloomberg and Reuters.

This marks the first time Saudi VLCCs have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war was signed between the U.S. and Iran on June 14.

According to the reports, the three VLCCs—Shaden, Jaham, and Awtad—operated by the Saudi national shipping company Bahri, each carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil, passed through the Strait of Hormuz this morning.

Data from the vessel tracking site MarineTraffic shows that the three ships departed from the Saudi port of Ras Tanura on the night of June 16 and are currently sailing in the Gulf of Oman after exiting the Strait of Hormuz.

MarineTraffic indicated that the destination for the Awtad is Ulsan.

Bloomberg reported that these tankers had been stranded in the Persian Gulf since the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28.

The Mraik, a carrier loaded with Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG), and a fuel carrier managed by a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned shipping company COSCO also exited the Strait of Hormuz on this day.

Bloomberg assessed, "While traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains minimal compared to pre-war levels, it is significant that Saudi crude oil has passed through the strait in large quantities for the first time."

During the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, some vessels secretly passed through with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off due to concerns over attacks by the Iranian military, but these tankers operated with their AIS turned on.

With the Strait of Hormuz having been blocked for approximately three and a half months, there are currently about 30 VLCCs anchored in the Persian Gulf.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.