Sanctioned tanker crosses Hormuz despite US blockade

International maritime tracking data on Monday evening showed that an Iranian “shadow fleet” oil tanker had successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz, despite the start of a US-imposed naval blockade on Iranian exports.

The ship-tracking platform Kpler reported that the tanker Elpis, which has been under US sanctions since last year, traversed the strait carrying a shipment of oil, in a direct defiance of the tightened US measures that officially came into force earlier on Monday. 

In contrast, other vessels were seen avoiding the crossing. Reports indicated that a tanker registered in Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, changed course towards the United Arab Emirates, while a third vessel halted off the Iranian coast.

These developments come amid heightened tensions in the region. Satellite images showed a decline in traffic through one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes as the new US restrictions began to take effect.

READ: US begins blockading ships entering or exiting Iranian ports