A Chinese tanker under US sanctions passed though the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, defying Washington’s naval blockade that began on Monday. After circling the area late on Monday and initially turning back, the 600ft long vessel passed through the waterway on Tuesday. Oil tanker Rich Starry is owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd. and became a target for US sanctions because it was used to transport Iranian crude.
Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker that is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the UAE’s Hamriyah, the data showed. Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the US navy would block ‘any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz’, adding on Monday that the US would blockade ships ‘entering or exiting Iranian ports’. Meanwhile, China said on Tuesday that a US blockade around Iranian ports was ‘dangerous and irresponsible’, after the US President threatened to sink any boats that sought to leave or dock there. ‘The US increased military operations and took a targeted blockade action, which will only exacerbate tensions and undermine the already fragile ceasefire agreement and further jeopardise safety of passage through the Strait,’ Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference, adding ‘this is dangerous and irresponsible behaviour’.
