Japan expects arrival of 1st oil tanker after Strait of Hormuz passage

Japan's first crude oil tanker that managed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz is expected to arrive Monday in the country, media reports said Saturday.

The Industry Ministry said the Panama-flagged Idemitsu Maru is carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi Arabian crude oil to a refining facility in Aichi province in central Japan, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The vessel is the first tanker managed by a Japanese firm to exit the strategic shipping channel since the start of a de facto blockade in the region.

According to sources familiar with the matter, three Japanese crew members are aboard the tanker and none have reported health problems.

A senior ministry official said authorities were primarily focused on the safe return of the crew and stressed that secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remains essential for stable energy supplies. The ministry said it would continue to closely monitor the situation.

NHK reported that another crude oil tanker owned by a subsidiary of Eneos Holdings has passed through the strait and is expected to reach Japan in early June.

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely.