Iran seized a Chinese-owned ship that’s one of a handful of so-called floating armories that operate in the region, according to two maritime security consultants who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive information.
A ship transits through the Persian Gulf in Kish Island, Iran.
The number of supertankers hauling unsanctioned oil through the Strait of Hormuz has shown signs of rising in recent days, offering limited relief to an oil market that’s suffered the largest supply disruption in history.
Tankers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, in a photo from Iran’s ISNA news agency on May 2.
India has condemned an attack that set a cargo vessel ablaze before sinking it in the Gulf of Oman early on Wednesday, calling the incident “unacceptable.”
The Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, as seen from the International Space Station. The Strait of Hormuz runs between Iran and United Arab Emirate. Source: Getty Images
Two India-bound vessels carrying cooking fuel from the Persian Gulf have transited the Strait of Hormuz, taking the number of large ships carrying oil, fuel and gas that have made it through the waterway since Sunday to ten.
A Japanese supertanker has emerged in the Gulf of Oman after last signaling that it was inside the Persian Gulf, indicating a rare, undercover transit through the Strait of Hormuz by a vessel from the Asian country.
A satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz between southern Iran and Oman's Musandam Peninsula. Source: maps4media/Getty Images North America
A liquefied petroleum gas carrier, which has previously ferried Iranian cargoes, has sailed past the blockade boundary announced last month by the US Navy.
A Chinese oil supertanker appears to have exited the Strait of Hormuz as it sails toward an area where the US has enforced a blockade, ahead of talks between US President Donald Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping.
A Chinese oil supertanker appears to have exited the Strait of Hormuz as it sails toward an area where the US has enforced a blockade, ahead of talks between US President Donald Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping.
A second Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker appeared to have exited the Strait of Hormuz, after a shipment successfully transited the chokepoint over the weekend.
An India-bound fertilizer shipment booked under an April tender has been scrapped after officials raised concerns over links to Iran, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.
The Infinity was seen making erratic movements between mid April to early May.
A liquefied petroleum gas carrier which has previously ferried Iranian cargoes is moving through the Strait of Hormuz while declaring that its crew and owners are Indian, according to ship-tracking data.
The Tara Gas was seen transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, signalling Indian ownership.
Geolocation data for some ships in the Persian Gulf showed locations and speeds that defied logic, pointing to an increase in signal interference following fresh attacks by Iran on neighboring countries.
Ships on Monday appeared to be signaling inland locations with speeds of up to 100 knots, a sign that electronic interference is intensifying.
Pakistan held talks with Iran to allow a limited number of Qatari liquefied natural gas cargoes to transit the Strait of Hormuz, as Qatar sent through its first shipment since the war began.
A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar appears to have transited the Strait of Hormuz, marking the country’s first export out of the region since the Iran war began.
The Al Kharaitiyat LNG tanker transited the Strait of Hormuz and is in the Gulf of Oman, ship-tracking data shows.
Saudi Arabia’s Aramco Trading Co. and the UAE’s state oil company Adnoc are among firms that have moved crude cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz since Iran effectively closed the waterway, according to people familiar with the situation.
Oil tankers navigate the sea near Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on April 28.
A French containership has emerged in the Arabian Sea after last being seen in the Persian Gulf, indicating a rare crossing of the Strait of Hormuz by a Western European vessel.
The CMA CGM Saigon appeared in the Arabian Sea late Wednesday, after last signaling that it was in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday.
The suspension of a short-lived US plan to guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz has underscored the difficulty of securing the narrow waterway and left shipowners grappling for credible workarounds.
Container ships sit at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
The suspension of a short-lived US plan to guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz has underscored the difficulty of securing the narrow waterway and left shipowners grappling for credible workarounds.
Container ships sit at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
One Iranian oil tanker may have slipped through a US blockade of the Persian Gulf state’s shipping, according to TankerTrackers.com, a firm that uses satellite imagery to monitor vessel movements.
A man paddles on the beach as a ship is seen in the background on Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz..
Hundreds of vessels were seen clustering near Dubai on Tuesday, as more ships moved away from a still-empty Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran’s efforts to widen its area of control.
The Strait of Hormuz was near empty on Tuesday as ships clustered around Dubai.