First Chinese Tanker Makes It Out of Hormuz Amid US Blockade
A U.S.-sanctioned Chinese tanker appears to have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, becoming the first to do so under the U.S. blockade of Iran.
The Rich Starry was sailing southwest in the Gulf of Oman at the time of writing, according to ship-tracking data shared by MarineTraffic.
The 616-foot vessel departed from Sharjah Anchorage, a major waypoint in the Persian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, on Monday before following a route that took it past Iran’s Larak Island, appearing to adhere to a corridor the Islamic Republic has designated under a vetting regime established amid mounting international pressure.
The Malawi-flagged Rich Starry and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping, are subject to U.S. sanctions over their role in shipping Iranian oil. The vessel is bound for the deep-sea port of Sohar in Oman.
The transit comes as the U.S. blockade casts doubt on a fragile ceasefire reached last week and on the resumption of regional commercial traffic-which has been largely paralyzed since the war began, when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28.
The blockade, announced after weekend negotiations with Iran failed to produce a lasting ceasefire, applies to vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, according to U.S. Central Command.
Newsweek has contacted U.S. Central Command and Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping for comment by email.
It remains unclear whether the Rich Starry was intercepted by American forces or whether it would be deemed subject to the action. “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
This is a developing story. It will be updated with additional information.
Newsweek's reporters and editors used Martyn, our Al assistant, to help produce this story. Learn more about Martyn.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 5:19 AM.