An Indian-flagged oil tanker, the Jag Prakash, has departed from the area east of the Strait of Hormuz, an Indian government official confirmed on Friday.
The vessel, carrying gasoline, is bound for Africa from Oman.
This development follows two weeks of significant disruption to Gulf shipping, attributed to Iran’s retaliatory actions in the region after US-Israeli attacks.
Rajesh Kumar Sinha, India’s special secretary at the ministry of shipping, stated that on Thursday, four Indian-flagged vessels were stranded in the Gulf of Oman, east of the Strait.
The Jag Prakash was one of these, leaving three vessels still awaiting passage. “Three vessels remain stuck at the east side, they have 76 Indian sailors onboard,” Sinha reported.
He added that 24 Indian-flagged vessels, with 677 Indian sailors, remained stranded west of the Strait, in the Persian Gulf, on Friday – a figure unchanged from Thursday.
Iran’s new supreme leader said on Thursday that the country will fight on and keep Hormuz shut as leverage against the United States and Israel, in defiant first comments attributed to him since he succeeded his slain father.
Ship-tracking data from Kpler showed the Jag Prakash will discharge fuel loaded at Oman’s Sohar Port at Tanzania’s Tanga Port on 21 March.
The news comes as the US treasury secretary has said the US Navy will escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz with the help of an “international coalition” in the face of threats from Iran.
Relentless attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf have caused oil prices to skyrocket above $100 a barrel as Tehran attempts to block passage through the critical waterway.
“My belief, that as soon as it is militarily possible, the US Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, will be escorting vessels through,” Scott Bessent told Sky News.
“There are, in fact, tankers coming through now, Iranian tankers, I believe some Chinese flag tankers have come through. So we know that they have not mined the straits.”
About one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Last week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy declared it had “complete control” over the passage in an attempt to spark economic turmoil.
Iran has claimed it will let ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz if they coordinate with the Iranian navy.
