First full gas tanker exits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

A tanker ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz headed for China on Monday — the first shipment of natural gas to successfully exit the Persian Gulf since the start of the war with Iran.

Liquefied natural gas tanker Mubaraz, loaded with more than 130,000 cubic meters of gas from the United Arab Emirates, had been loitering in the contested waterway when its transponder went off in late March, according to financial data provider LSEG.

The signal finally reappeared Monday west of the Indian coast, indicating it had managed to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes 20% of the world’s natural oil and gas supplies, reported the Wall Street Journal.

The ship is now en route to Tianjin, northern China, according to ship-tracker MarineTraffic.