Saudi crude shipment heads to Pakistan via Hormuz amid restricted traffic: report

• Iran tightens control, considers fee on transit.
• LPG tankers, bulk carriers also depart Gulf.
• Tracking disrupted as ships disable AIS signals.

A Saudi oil cargo is heading to Pakistan after transiting the Strait of Hormuz along a route close to Iran, as limited vessel movement continues under heightened restrictions, The News reported.

In addition to the oil tanker, two liquefied petroleum gas tankers and four bulk carriers headed out of the Gulf on Saturday, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

All seven ships appear to have followed a northerly route that passes through a narrow gap between the two Iranian islands of Larak and Qeshm as Tehran tightens its grip on the waterway. Iran’s parliament is working on a draft bill that would impose a fee on vessels seeking safe passage.

Shipping through Hormuz remains at a small fraction of prewar levels. Vessel-tracking is hampered by electronic interference of ships’ signals, and some disable their AIS transponders in high-risk waters, further reducing the timeliness and reliability of tracking data.

Iran-linked crude tankers continue to cross Hormuz with their transponders turned off, with the flow averaging about 1.6 million barrels a day in the first 23 days of March, according to Tankertrackers.com.

It was reported this weekend that Tehran has given approval for seven Malaysian tankers to leave the Persian Gulf. The stranded vessels will be able to sail soon, the Star said, citing Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan. Iran has also agreed to allow 20 more Pakistani-flagged ships to pass through Hormuz, according to Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The most notable outbound transit on Saturday was the oil tanker P. Aliki, hauling about 650,000 barrels of Saudi crude to Pakistan, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

In addition, two LPG carriers that crossed the strait Saturday are heading for India.

Four bulk carriers were seen making the outbound transit on Saturday, with two Iranian-flagged vessels adding to an initial two reported yesterday.

Separately, on Sunday morning, the Iran-linked crude tanker Tawanna also left the Persian Gulf. The ship, which loaded crude from Kharg Island earlier this month according to Vortexa, is sanctioned by the US, the UK and the European Union for previous involvement in the Russian oil trade. With vessels going dark in high-risk waters, transit counts may initially appear lower and may be revised upward as delayed data becomes available.

Two small LPG carriers and one bulk carrier were observed entering the Persian Gulf on Saturday. One of the LPG carriers and the bulker are heading along the Iranian coast. The other tanker is taking a more southerly route.

One bulk carrier has been observed making the inbound transit on Sunday morning. It’s carrying food supplies to the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini, according to its AIS signal.