Convoy of tankers is seen crossing Strait of Hormuz, vessel tracking data shows

Oslo: A convoy of eight tankers was crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, data showed, as some ship owners said they hoped Tehran would allow them to leave the Gulf during a short ceasefire window in the Iran war.

The group - comprising one very large crude oil carrier (VLCC), ‌several oil ⁠product and ⁠chemical tankers and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers - was passing through Iranian waters south of Larak island, according ​to MarineTraffic data. More tankers were seen following from the Gulf.

Also Read: Trump proposes, Iran disposes: Hormuz is now a battlefield of claims


Hundreds of ships have been stuck ​in the Gulf since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran at the end of February and Tehran retaliated by closing the strait, forcing large ​oil and gas production cuts across all Gulf oil ⁠producers.

Iran reopened ‌the strait, which before the war carried a fifth of ​the world's ​oil trade, following a separate U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Thursday by Israel ⁠and Lebanon.

Some ship owners said they might try to ​use the window of opportunity to leave the Gulf while ​the ceasefire lasts. They all asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

A number of ships have also been observed approaching the strait and turning back since yesterday afternoon, indicating that the passage was still restricted.

In a statement on Saturday morning, a spokesperson for the Iran's Revolutionary Guards said: "Following ‌prior agreements reached in negotiations, the Islamic Republic of Iran, acting in good faith, agreed to the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial vessels through ⁠the Strait of Hormuz."

Also Read: Greek, Indian tankers U-turn before Hormuz amid reopening doubt

The closure of the Strait has resulted in the largest supply loss in history - more than 10 million barrels of oil per day and a 20% cut in global liquefied natural gas supply, the International Energy Agency has said.

Top Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait say they need a steady inflow and outflow of tankers and unrestricted passage through the strait to be able to resume steady oil export operations.