Two Oil Tankers Halt Transit Through Hormuz Amid Collapse of Islamabad Talks

SadaNews - Two giant empty oil tankers turned back just before entering the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, coinciding with the failure of peace talks between the United States and Iran, putting the fragile ceasefire under renewed pressure.

Tracking data showed that three very large crude oil tankers began to approach the shipping lane from the Gulf of Oman late on Saturday, before reaching the vicinity of Iran's Kharg Island early on Sunday, a key transit point for ships heading into the Gulf.

At this point, the "Agios Fanourios I" tanker, heading to Iraq, and the "Shalamar" tanker, registered under the flag of Pakistan and en route to Das Island in the UAE, turned back.

In contrast, the third tanker, "Mombasa B", continued on its path, advancing ahead of the two ships, and was able to navigate between Kharg and Qeshm islands through the approved route into the Arabian Gulf, currently showing no specific destination in its tracking data.

The reasons for the reversal are unclear, despite Iraq and Pakistan having received prior clearances for transit, coinciding with the announcement by negotiators in Islamabad of the failure of the talks and the absence of an agreement.

Navigation Disturbances Resurface

The Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the most important arteries for global energy supplies, having witnessed significant disruptions in ship movements since the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran about six weeks ago, while the reopening of the strait has emerged as a key focus in weekend negotiations.

In recent weeks, multiple ships have attempted to transit the strait, only to be compelled to turn back amid a volatile security environment and heightened risks, with most movements centered on leaving the Arabian Gulf, while the need for empty tankers to enter and load new shipments also appears.

In this context, two Chinese container ships were forced to turn around and return late last month, before they were able to depart later, and a liquefied natural gas tanker turned back last week.

The successful transit of three ships on Sunday would have supported a gradual improvement in traffic through the route, controlled by Iran, where two giant Chinese tankers and a Greek ship managed to leave the gulf via the strait loaded with crude oil on Saturday.

The "Agios Fanourios I" is managed by the Greek company "Eastern Mediterranean Maritime", while the "Shalamar" is owned by the Pakistan National Shipping Corp. No immediate comment was received from either company in response to inquiries outside of business hours.

The "Mombasa B" ship, formerly known as "Front Forth", has transferred ownership to the company "Haut Brion 8", linked to its manager "Sinokor Maritime", based in South Korea. No comment was issued regarding requests for inquiries outside official working hours.