Nearly 20% of Strait of Hormuz traffic is sanctioned ships linked to Iran, data shows

Nearly one commercial ship out of every five that traversed the Strait of Hormuz Monday was a sanctioned vessel involved in transporting Iranian oil, according to tracking information.Of the 48 ships that were confirmed crossing the strait, nine were found to be previously punished for their role in transporting energy for Iran, Russia and Venezuela, according to maritime analyst Kpler.Among the ships was the Iran-flagged Warta, a bulk-carrier that was tracked into the Persian Gulf.Two other identified ships were the Curacao-flagged Asha and Lumina Ocean crude oil tankers, which traveled along the so-called “Iranian route” on the north side of the strait, according to Kpler.Another Curacao-flagged tanker, Titan, also sailed out of the strait on Monday, along with the Botswanan tanker Vigor.The other sanctioned tankers that made it through include the Gambia-flagged Elva, the Guyana-flagged Nichola, the Botswana-flagged Virgo, and the Mali-flagged Sea Ace.At least five of the tankers were recorded carrying up to four million barrels of oil, the BBC reported.At least 30 tankers transporting Iranian crude and petrochemicals have exited the waterway since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) June 17, according to the United Against Nuclear Iran monitoring group.The vessels were all allowed to sail freely after the US ended its blockade on Iranian ports and waived sanctions for a 60-day period asnegotiations continue between Washington and Tehran.In all, at least 172 vessels have traversed the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Iran signed the MOU, with traffic volume growing as ships try to pass while the cease-fire lasts.Iran itself has been trying to take advantage of the situation, with officials from the National Iranian Oil Co.

working around the clock to export its crude to Asia as quickly as possible, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.The American blockade effectively left Iran with millions of barrels of crude in storage with no place to exp...