Japanese-owned LNG tanker crosses the Strait of Hormuz

TOKYO: A Japanese-owned liquefied natural gas tanker has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, its co-owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said on Friday, making it the first Japan-linked vessel to have crossed the channel since the onset of the Iran war.

Crew members on the Panama-flagged ship, “SOHAR LNG”, remain safe, a Mitsui O.S.K. Lines spokesperson told Reuters, while declining to disclose when it crossed the Strait and whether any negotiations had been required.

The Asahi newspaper earlier reported the crossing.

Until U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began at the end of February, leading to the effective closure of the Strait, it was the route for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Japan was particularly dependent as around 90% of its oil and 6% of its LNG imports crossed the Strait.

Dozens of Japanese vessels are stranded

As of early on Friday, 45 ships owned or operated by Japanese entities had been stranded because they could not cross the Strait, according to Japan’s transport ministry.

Among those were 12 crude oil tankers, 12 tankers loaded with refined or chemical products, nine car carriers and six LNG tankers, broadcaster TBS has reported.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines last month said one vessel it owns and operates sustained a minor impact in the region. The cause was unknown and no one was hurt.

On Thursday, a container ship belonging to French shipping group CMA CGM has also crossed through the Strait, vessel tracking data showed.

Chinese ships, Indian-flagged gas tankers and a Greek-operated crude tanker have passed through the Strait since the start of the Iran war.