(Bloomberg) — A supertanker carrying a cargo of Iraqi crude that left the Persian Gulf on Sunday appears to have evaded a U.S. Navy blockade and is now heading back to the Gulf of Oman.
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Ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show that the very large crude oil carrier Agios Fanourios I appears to be retracing its course at a relatively slow speed of about 5 knots after crossing the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman over the weekend. The ship is still sending its intention to go to the Nghi Son refinery in Vietnam. The company loaded a cargo of crude oil from the Basra oil terminal last month.
According to tracking data played by the ship as it sailed off the coast of Oman, the ship was traveling at about 13 knots before turning around while showing Nghi Son as its intended destination.
The tanker was suspended late Monday for unknown reasons near a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian shipping, not oil from Iraq.
The ship’s manager, Athens-based East Med Maritime, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency earlier reported the ship’s passage through the Strait of Hormuz, saying it followed Tehran’s designated waterway through the waterway.
–With assistance from Alex Longley and Weiluun Soon.
(Updates first and second paragraphs and replaces graphics to reflect latest ship developments.)
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