Kamal Ghorui
A US-sanctioned tanker linked to China, closely monitored as one of the first vessels to test President Donald Trump’s naval blockade, appeared to reverse course after passing through the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday.According to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, the tanker Rich Starry transited Hormuz before turning around later in the Gulf of Oman. The ship had been blacklisted by Washington in 2023 for helping Tehran evade energy sanctions.
Its movements have drawn attention from shipowners, energy traders and financial market investors seeking insight into how the latest US measures against Tehran will be enforced and how they may affect oil flows.The US has positioned naval forces in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea to intercept Iranian vessels attempting to leave the Persian Gulf.Tracking activity in the region has proven difficult due to signal jamming and spoofing. Rich Starry has previously been linked to satellite signal spoofing, according to TankerTrackers.com Inc., which uses satellite data to monitor vessels.This was not the tanker’s first reversal. On Monday, it initially appeared to turn back near Hormuz before resuming its journey hours later.After its latest turn, the tanker listed its destination as “for orders.” Earlier signals had referenced the Omani port of Sohar, Chinese ownership and crew, and again “for orders.”Another tanker, Elpis, was also moving through the strait as the blockade began. It entered the Gulf of Oman before stopping off the Iranian coast. Data from ship-tracking platforms Kpler and Vortexa, as cited by Bloomberg, indicate that Elpis had docked at an Iranian port before attempting the passage, potentially making it a target for US naval patrols.“The real issue is not simply whether ships can pass through Hormuz, but what spectrum of enforcement options US warships apply, and where they choose to apply them,” said Charlie Brown, an advisor to United Against Nuclear Iran, a US lobby and pressure group focused on Tehran.
