Chinese and Japanese Tankers Break Through Hormuz Blockade

Two Chinese vessels and one Japanese tanker successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on May 13-14, 2026, navigating a waterway largely blocked since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. The Chinese supertanker Yuan Hua Hu, owned by COSCO Shipping Energy and chartered by Unipec, carried approximately two million barrels of Iraqi crude loaded at Basrah in early March. It had been stranded in the Persian Gulf for over two months. A second Chinese vessel, the vehicle carrier Xiang Jiang Kou, passed through the same day. Both Chinese ships broadcast 'CHINESE VESSEL AND CREW' via their Automatic Identification System transponders during transit, and the Yuan Hua Hu later anchored off the coast of Oman.

The Japanese tanker Eneos Endeavour took a different approach, disabling its transponder to avoid detection by Iranian forces. It carried 1.2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude and 700,000 barrels of Emirati crude destined for Japan, becoming only the second Japan-bound tanker to clear the chokepoint since the conflict began. Japan, which relies on Middle Eastern oil for 95 percent of its refinery feedstocks, began releasing state petroleum reserves in March to cover approximately 45 days of national demand and received its first shipment of Azerbaijani crude since the escalation.

The transits reflect a modest recovery in Hormuz traffic. Since May 10, four supertankers carrying roughly two million barrels each have departed, and 38 vessels crossed in the seven days leading up to May 14, triple the previous week's volume. However, flows remain far below pre-war levels, with roughly a billion barrels cut from global supply. Iran recently established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage ship crossings and announced it is now allowing Chinese ships to pass, following foreign ministry discussions. The Trump administration has threatened sanctions against any nation paying Iran for passage, while the U.S. Navy maintains a blockade of Iranian ports from the edge of the Gulf of Oman.