US-Sanctioned, China-Linked Tanker Rich Starry Crosses Strait of Hormuz Amid US Blockade

A Chinese tanker sanctioned by the United States, Rich Starry, ​passed through the Strait of Hormuz on ‌Tuesday. The Rich Starry would be the first to ​make it through the Strait of Hormuz and to ​exit the Gulf since the US naval blockade began.

A US-sanctioned tanker linked to China has reportedly crossed the war-hit Strait of Hormuz amid a US naval blockade. The tanker, Rich Starry, first attempted to pass through the strait on Monday but briefly turned back near Iran’s Qeshm Island. It made a new attempt in the evening and appears to have passed the strait.

Malawi-flagged Chinese-owned tanker Rich Starry, a medium-range tanker, passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg and data from LSEG, MarineTraffic and Kpler cited by Reuters. The tanker is carrying a cargo of methanol, and its next port country was listed as China, reported CNN, citing data and analytics firm Kpler.

Rich Starry is owned by Full Star Shipping Ltd, linked to Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd., the reports said. The ship was sanctioned by the US in 2023 for reportedly helping Iran evade energy sanctions.

The tanker went by the name Full Star and sailed under the Hong Kong flag up until April 2023, CNN reported citing MarineTraffic data.

The source of the tanker is still not clear, the reports said.

A US blockade of Iran’s ports is currently in effect. US President Donald Trump on Monday said that the American military had begun a blockade of Iranian ports as part of his effort to force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept a deal to end the war that has raged for more than six weeks.

Iran responded with threats on all ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, taking aim at US-allied countries.

The US blockade and Iran’s threatened retaliation set up an extraordinary showdown that posed serious risks for the global economy and raised the spectre that the ceasefire could collapse and the fighting could resume.

Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict — which began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran — failed to reach an agreement this past weekend. However, reports suggest that both the US and Iran are considering second round of negotiations.