Japanese tanker escapes Hormuz Strait, 41 ships still stuck

The Idemitsu Maru oil tanker. (Kyodo News)

JAKARTA - A tanker linked to Japan has successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz and is now heading for Nagoya. The ship passed without paying the toll, while dozens of other Japanese ships are still stuck in the Persian Gulf.

Quoted from Kyodo News, Wednesday, April 29, the tanker is operated by a subsidiary of Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co. The information was provided by a government source on Wednesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also stated via social media that the Japanese-related tanker had passed through the strait. There were three Japanese citizens on board.

The chairman of the Japanese Ship Owners Association, Hitoshi Nagasawa, said there were still 41 Japanese-related ships being held in the Persian Gulf. He hopes that support will continue to be provided so that the ships can leave "safely and smoothly as soon as possible".

The Idemitsu Maru, which flies the Panama flag, loaded crude oil at a Saudi terminal in early March, according to Iran's Press TV.

After more than a week of stopping off the coast of Abu Dhabi, the ship began moving towards the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

The ship was reported to be carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil when it passed after receiving permission from Iranian authorities.

According to the MarineTraffic ship tracking website, the ship, which is more than 300 meters long, passed through the Strait of Hormuz around 18:00 Tuesday Japan time. The ship is estimated to take about three weeks to arrive in Nagoya.

Japan is heavily reliant on crude oil from the Middle East. Most of the supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Therefore, the effective closure of this important route immediately shook the market. Crude oil prices jumped due to supply concerns.