WANA (Apr 28) – Satellite data monitoring shows that within a 72-hour period, 52 vessels have crossed the U.S. blockade line.

 

Satellite monitoring data indicate that during the 72 hours leading up to 10:00 PM last night, 52 vessels crossed the U.S. blockade line. These vessels included 31 tankers and 21 cargo ships. Additionally, 30 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which included 6 tankers and 5 Iranian cargo ships.

 

Since April 13, the United States has announced it was placing Iran under a naval blockade, and Trump has repeatedly described this blockade as strong and firm.

 

However, only ten days after that date, the oil cargo tracking firm Vortexa announced that at least 34 tankers associated with Iran broke the blockade, confirming that nearly 11 million barrels of Iranian oil passed through the U.S. blockade.

 

Two days ago, another maritime cargo tracking firm, TankerTrackers, reported the secret departure of an additional 4 million barrels of Iranian oil from the U.S. naval blockade line. Now, new statistics report the departure of 52 vessels in just 72 hours.

 

Following this U.S. action and the violation of the ceasefire, Iran also announced that the restrictions applied to the Strait of Hormuz would become more severe, and satellite images indicate near-zero traffic in this vital waterway.

 

In this regard, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) patrols are strictly monitoring the movement of ships in this strait, such that two different ships associated with the U.S. and the Israeli regime have been seized and transferred to Iranian shores so far.

 

Consequently, this vital waterway is open only to Iranian and Iran-affiliated ships, and if a ship passes through the strait, it is only with the permission of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy; a point mentioned in all international statistics and reports.

 

In this context, the oil cargo tracking firm MarineTraffic reported an hour ago the passage of a giant tanker belonging to the Japanese refiner “Idemitsu” through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the firm’s data, this ship had departed from the Ras Tanura anchorage on April 17 and is carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil.

 

Yui Torikata, a senior market analyst at Kpler, says that Japanese shipowners are very cautious regarding security risks, and this passage shows they have become somewhat certain of safe movement.

 

Japan relies on West Asia for 95% of its energy imports, and following the war against Iran, the country has faced such an energy crisis that its national network covered the entry of the first post-war tanker into Tokyo Bay live.