By Alex Longley and Alaric Nightingale
Mar 9, 2026 (Bloomberg) – A tanker carrying a million barrels of Saudi oil recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz. This is one of the first large tankers to leave the Persian Gulf after traffic in the area nearly stopped.
The Shenlong tanker, managed by Greece’s Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd., turned off its tracking device on March 4 while moving towards Hormuz. It resumed signaling near the coastline of India on Monday morning, according to ship-tracking data from Bloomberg.
Traffic through the strait has decreased significantly since the US and Israel initiated military actions against Iran. In response, Iran has attacked several ships in the waterway. These attacks have created a risky environment for shipping, trapping crucial global commodities in the region and prompting the US to offer naval escorts and insurance support if necessary.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright mentioned in a Fox News interview over the weekend that at least one tanker has made the journey; however, tracking additional crossings is challenging because many ships are turning off their tracking devices. Despite this, the overall security situation in the region does not seem to have improved, as most shipping companies are still hesitant to use this route.
While sanctioned shipments are not passing through Hormuz, Iran has continued to export large amounts of oil through the strait. TankerTrackers.com Inc. estimates that between 11 million to 12 million barrels of Iranian oil have passed through the waterway since the conflict began on February 28.
Since the conflict broke out, multiple ships have been targeted in the region. Naval forces reported no incidents on Sunday, but they cautioned that this should be seen as a temporary pause rather than a sign of reduced threats. The Joint Maritime Information Center stated that credible threats to merchant shipping and offshore energy infrastructure remain in the area.
A spokesperson for Dynacom has not yet responded to inquiries about the tanker.