An oil tanker under sanctions has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, defying the blockade imposed by the US military
An oil tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday afternoon after the blockade imposed by the Trump administration on Iranian shipping went into effect, according to data published by Kpler, an analysis and information platform on global trade flows, writes CNN.
The tanker is registered in the Comoros Islands – an island country in the Indian Ocean located off the coast of Africa – and sails under the name Elpis.
The ship is partially loaded and has been placed on the sanctions list by the United States in 2025 for its “involvement in the sale, purchase and transport of Iranian oil” as part of Iran's “ghost fleet”.
Instead, an oil tanker registered in Botswana, Austria, turned off course while trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Just 41 minutes after Trump's deadline, the Austria changed its intended destination (Oman) to the United Arab Emirates after turning back, according to CNN's analysis of ship tracking data provided by Kpler.
Also shortly after the US military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian ports went into effect, another oil tanker, the Rich Starry, posted its status saying it was “adrift” off Qeshm Island, apparently aborting its journey through the channel.
