The tanker’s transit marks the third Chinese supertanker passage through the strait amid heightened regional tensions and oil trade shifts.
A Chinese very large crude carrier (VLCC) carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah Medium crude exited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being stranded in the Gulf since early March. The vessel, owned by COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation and chartered by Unipec, is en route to Zhoushan with an expected June 1 arrival.
The transit is the third by a Chinese-flagged VLCC since late February, when regional tensions escalated following conflicts involving Iran. Iran has recently tightened control over the strait, striking deals with Iraq and Pakistan to facilitate oil and LNG shipments through the waterway.
The movement coincides with a scheduled meeting between U.S. and Chinese leaders and follows high-level diplomatic engagements between China and Iran. A Chinese vehicle carrier also transited the strait within the same 24-hour period, signaling increased maritime activity.