First tanker to carry non-Iranian crude exits Strait of Hormuz: CAS

The first tanker carrying non-Iranian crude has exited the Strait of Hormuz, according to data from S&P Global Commodities at Sea.

The Shenlong called at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, on March 1 and then at Mumbai, India, on March 10, CAS data showed. Its draught at Mumbai was 15.8 m, up from 9.3 m at Ras Tanura, indicating it had loaded, CAS data showed.

The ship's destination is unknown. The ship's Automatic Identification System was turned off before transiting the Strait and then turned on again afterward, CAS ship tracking software showed.

The vessel is owned by Shenlong Shipping Ltd. and managed by Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd., according to open-source data. Neither company was immediately available for requests for comment.

On March 10, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright deleted a post on X asserting the US Navy had escorted a ship through the Strait. The post included a video of Wright telling an event crowd that a tanker had made it through the Strait, without mentioning a US military escort.

At a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the US "has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time."

"That's an option the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time," Leavitt said.

A DOE spokesperson told Platts the post was "incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff."

Later March 10, US President Donald Trump warned Iran against placing mines in the Strait that could damage or discourage tankers from transiting.

"If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!" Trump wrote. "If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!" he said.

As of March 9, 289 million barrels of Gulf-origin crude remain in transit east of the Strait, having cleared the chokepoint before US-Israel strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, CAS data showed. Saudi grades account for 36% or 104 million barrels of the volume, followed by Iranian crude at 23%, or 68 million barrels, and Iraqi barrels at 19%, or 55 million barrels. Some 23% of the volume at sea, or 67 million barrels, is en route to China, CAS data showed.

Nearly 66% of the Iranian cargoes are en route to Southeast Asia, where they will be rerouted and ultimately land in China, CAS data showed.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed the rate to carry 130,000 metric tons of crude from the Persian Gulf to the Far East at $158.63/mt on March 10, up from $51.42/mt on Feb. 27.