A Chinese tanker is attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported today, citing ship-tracking data showing the VLCC moving south along the eastern side of the chokepoint.
The moment is delicate for relations between the United States, China, and Iran as President Trump heads to Beijing for talks with President Xi on topics that are bound to include traffic via the Strait of Hormuz.
The supertanker that Bloomberg reported moving along the chokepoint, Yuan Hua Hu, is owned by Cosco, and if it is allowed to pass, it would only be the third tanker carrying oil for China from the Persian Gulf that has traversed Hormuz since the start of the war. The vessel is broadcasting its Chinese origin and crew, Bloomberg said, as other vessels have done previously to secure safe passage.
In April, two very large Chinese crude carriers were allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz under Iran’s toll system that demands payment of $2 million per supertanker to pass. One of those was the same Yuan Hua Hu that is currently moving along the strait.
China imports a lot of its energy from the Middle East, and while it has amassed substantial crude oil stockpiles that are helping it weather the worst of the crisis, restoring normal flows from the Persian Gulf is important for one of the world’s top energy importers.
Earlier in the war, reports emerged that Beijing had pressured Iranian officials to stop attacking vessels carrying crude oil and LNG via Hormuz. Judging from later events that involved Iranian strikes on vessels in the chokepoint, Tehran did not yield to the pressure.
Meanwhile, media are reporting that President Trump plans to have “a long talk” with President Xi about Iran, even as he told news agencies he did not need China’s help in resolving differences with Iran.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
