West Asia conflict: A Suezmax tanker carrying Iraqi crude oil, which has reportedly crossed the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, is heading towards India, Bloomberg reported. The movement of commercial vessels — typically observed daily in both directions along the waterway — dropped to five on Friday, down from 11 the previous day. According to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, traffic picked up slightly on Saturday morning, with six vessels observed passing through the strait.
As this conflict enters its 12th week, the movement of vessels in and out of the Persian Gulf remains significantly below pre-war levels. Despite repeated assertions by US President Donald Trump that Iran will soon capitulate, there are no indications that the country intends to ease its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has stipulated — as one of five conditions for re-engaging in negotiations to end the conflict — that Iran’s sovereignty over this strait must be recognised.
On Thursday, the Suezmax tanker ‘Karolos’ was spotted in the Gulf of Oman; it was heading towards India from the Strait of Hormuz. Its draft indicated that it was fully loaded. A week prior, the vessel had been sighted near Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, and at that time, it was traveling in the opposite direction.
Ship-tracking firm Kpler has identified this tanker as the vessel carrying Iraqi crude oil loaded at Basra on May 10–11. An image captured by the European Union’s Sentinel-2 satellite on the morning of May 11 shows a ship of the exact same color and dimensions at one of the loading buoys in Basra, according to Bloomberg.
Furthermore, the oil tanker Agios Fanourios I, which was detained by the U.S. while en route from Iraq to Vietnam remains in the Gulf of Oman. Meanwhile, the very large crude carrier Kiara M, which had exited the Persian Gulf after loading oil in Basra appears to have completed the transfer of its cargo to another vessel near Oman, according to tracking data.
