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Supertankers Resume Strait of Hormuz Transit as Asian-Bound Oil Cargoes Exit Gulf, Reuters Analysis Says

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Three supertankers carrying a combined 6 million barrels of Middle East crude were transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after remaining stranded inside the Gulf for over two months, while another very large crude carrier entered the waterway, a Reuters analysis of ship-tracking data showed on Wednesday.

The vessels are among only a small number of supertankers to leave the Gulf this month using a designated transit corridor ordered by Iran amid heightened regional tensions.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28. The narrow waterway normally handles about one-fifth of global oil and energy supplies.

Recent traffic through the strait has included cargo vessels, chemical tankers and liquefied petroleum gas carriers, while crude oil tankers have accounted for only a small share of overall movements, according to the analysis.

Citing data from ship-tracking firms and satellite imagery from analytics firm SynMax, Reuters said roughly 10 ships crossed the strait in the past 24 hours, including small cargo vessels and a chemical tanker entering the Gulf.

South Korean-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier, Universal Winner, carrying 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude loaded on Mar. 4, was exiting the strait on Wednesday. Reuters said the vessel was bound for Ulsan in South Korea, home to the country's largest refiner, SK Energy, where it is expected to discharge its cargo on June 9. SK Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment by.

Chinese-flagged VLCC Yuan Gui Yang loaded 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude on Feb. 27, a day before the US-Israeli attack on Iran began. The Unipec-chartered tanker exited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday and is due to discharge at Shuidong Port in southern China's Guangdong province on June 4. Sinopec did not immediately respond to inquiries from.

Hong Kong-flagged VLCC Ocean Lily loaded 1 million barrels each of Qatari al-Shaheen crude and Iraqi Basrah crude between late February and early March. The vessel, owned by Sinochem, is expected to arrive at Quanzhou Port in eastern Fujian province on June 5. Sinochem did not immediately respond to a request for comment by.

Additionally, the Cyprus-flagged VLCC Grand Lady entered the Strait of Hormuz with its transponder switched off. The empty tanker is currently anchored off Dubai. The ship's manager Eastern Mediterranean Maritime did not immediately respond to inquiries from.

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