Oil tanker U-turns into Gulf of Oman after exiting Hormuz

An oil supertanker that exited the Persian Gulf on Sunday hauling a cargo of Iraqi crude appears to have stopped shy of the US naval blockade line and is now turning back into the Gulf of Oman.

The very large crude carrier Agios Fanourios I appears to be retracing its journey at a relatively slow speed of about 5 knots, after previously having crossed the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman over the weekend, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. The vessel is still signaling its intent to sail to the Nghi Son refinery in Vietnam. It loaded a cargo of crude from the Basra Oil Terminal last month.

The Agios Fanourios I paused just as it was about to head into the Arabian Sea before U-turning back into the Gulf of Oman.

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Prior to its U-turn, the vessel was sailing at a speed of about 13 knots, according to the tracking data it was broadcasting as it cleared the coast of Oman, while showing Nghi Son as its intended destination.

The tanker paused its journey late on Monday, for unknown reasons, near a point where the US has a naval blockade in place that applies to Iranian shipping, not barrels from Iraq.

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The ship’s manager, Athens-based Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported the vessel’s transit through Hormuz earlier, saying it followed Tehran’s designated route through the waterway.

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