All Japan-linked oil tankers successfully traverse Hormuz

All Japanese-affiliated crude oil tankers that had been caught up in Middle East tensions have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz and left the Persian Gulf, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The source added that four other Japan-linked vessels remain in the Gulf. Data from the global ship tracking website MarineTraffic and other sources indicated that the oil tankers, including one operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., appeared to have passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, with some heading for Japan. Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for global oil and gas supplies, remain high. After Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the re-closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said the following day that Washington would continue its maritime blockade against Iran. Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Yasushi Kaneko told a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday that Japan has prioritised free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. ‘We place the restoration of free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as a top priority and are monitoring developments closely with great attention,’ Kaneko said. Japan’s Ministry of Defence said the oil tankers include Japanese-flagged vessels, foreign-flagged vessels carrying Japanese nationals and operated by Japanese shipping companies, as well as vessels transporting Japanese cargo for the stable economy of the Japanese people.