US oil tanker arrives in Japan amid Iran crisis

Tokyo (ANTARA) - A tanker carrying United States crude oil arrived in Japan on Sunday amid global supply disruptions following US-Israel military aggression against Iran since late February 2026. According to Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., the vessel, which docked in Tokyo Bay and is recorded as the first US crude oil shipment since the outbreak of the US-Israel war against Iran, transported 145,000 kilolitres. That amount is equivalent to around half a day’s domestic consumption in Japan. The US-Israel conflict with Iran has caused the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the main global energy shipping route. Japan imports more than 90 per cent of its oil from the Middle East via that strait. The ship departed from Texas on 22 March and passed through the Panama Canal, which can only be navigated by smaller-sized vessels. The Japanese government and oil companies are working to secure supplies from alternative routes to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. In addition to the United States, Japan will also import oil from other regions such as South America and Central Asia.