Iran’s state-run media say a Japan-linked large tanker carrying crude oil has passed through the Strait of Hormuz after gaining a permit from the Iranian authorities.
The English-language media outlet, Press TV, reported on Tuesday that the Idemitsu Maru, carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil, had navigated the strait.
The vessel is a Panama-flagged tanker owned by a subsidiary of a leading Japanese oil wholesaler, Idemitsu Kosan.
The tanker reportedly loaded the oil in Saudi Arabia in early March, stayed off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and started sailing on Monday night.
Data from the vessel tracking website MarineTraffic shows that the tanker was in the Gulf of Oman at 10 a.m., Japan time. It is believed to be headed to Nagoya in central Japan, and is expected to be there in mid-May.
If the tanker reaches Japan as scheduled, it would be the first vessel managed by a Japanese company to have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the waterway was effectively closed.
A source related to Japan’s foreign ministry told NHK that the government did not pay a separate transit fee to the Iranian side.
Idemitsu Kosan declined to comment on the voyage citing safety reasons.