A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) has passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since early March, which is one of the key maritime routes for global energy.
This is reported by Finway
The journey of the Mubaraz tanker and its significance for LNG trade
The LNG tanker Mubaraz, operated by the national oil company of the United Arab Emirates ADNOC, loaded 132,890 cubic meters of liquefied gas on Das Island on March 2. After that, the vessel set off on its voyage, but at the end of March, it turned off its AIS transponder and disappeared from radar for a month. The signal reappeared near the coast of India only yesterday, indicating a resumption of navigation after a long hiatus.
“This tanker likely managed to cross the strait over the weekend of April 18-19, when several vessels (including seven LNG tankers) attempted to pass through, but this has yet to be confirmed,” noted Kpler analyst Charles Costeuss.
Resumption of traffic and geopolitical context
Typically, about 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Since early March, over 70 tankers carrying crude oil, mostly from Iran, have already left the strait. Restrictions on vessel movement were imposed after the Iranian side effectively closed the route in early March.
<p>The recent agreement for a two-week ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran has allowed commercial traffic to resume through the Strait of Hormuz. This occurred after a series of military incidents: on February 28, the US and Israel conducted joint strikes on facilities in Iran, and in response, Iran attacked American bases in Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan.
Illustrative photo: Shaah Shahidh on Unsplash