The Chinese tanker was turned back to Persian Gulf: there is a blockade

The media actively wrote that a Chinese tanker with oil products passed through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. Today, on April 15, the ship returned to The Persian Gulf, which confirms the US blockade.

The Rich Starry tanker returned back to The Persian Gulf. According to AIS vessels, at night the tanker passed the Strait of Hormuz in Iranian territorial waters and transmitted a signal near the island of Qeshm. Thus, the ship returned back without delivering the cargo.

On the eve of the tanker went in the opposite direction, which was actively reported by the media, as the United States announced the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. However, 60 miles from the strait, the ship stopped and in the afternoon took the opposite course.

As EADaily reported, Rich Starry indicated that he was carrying cargo from the UAE. But Tankertrackers noted that the sanctioned vessel is most likely carrying cargo from Iran, which it has been doing before.

"His AIS signals give the impression that the RICH STARRY tanker is loaded with oil products from the UAE, but in fact he is a serial AIS violator and sanctions violator with a history of transporting Iranian oil products," Tankertrackers activists who track oil shipments noted.

According to Equasis, the tanker, which is under US sanctions, belongs to the Chinese Full Star Shipping and is also operated by a Chinese company. The vessel can carry up to 36 thousand tons of oil products.

The fate of another oil tanker, Elpis, which left Iran yesterday and went through the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman remains unknown.

The US Central Command said that in the first 24 hours not a single vessel passed through the US blockade, and six merchant ships followed the instructions of US forces to turn around and return to the Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.

"The missile destroyers of the US Navy are among the ships performing the blockade task related to Iranian ports. The blockade is applied impartially to all vessels of all countries entering or leaving Iran's coastal zones or ports," the command said.

According to AIS vessels, tankers continue to pass the Strait of Hormuz, but towards the Persian Gulf. So, overnight the strait was also crossed by tankers Alicia and Agios Fanourios I. The first belongs to Placencia Services from Monrovia, is under sanctions and is considered a vessel of the shadow fleet. Agios Fanourios I, in turn, belongs to the Greek St Fanourios and indicates that it goes to Iraq for a cargo of oil for Vietnam.

The LPG tanker G Summer is also approaching the strait. He transmits via AIS that he is heading to Iraq is owned by a Chinese company.