US President Donald Trump had announced a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (April 12, 2026). This decision was taken when the peace talks held in Islamabad between America and Iran ended without any agreement. Giving information on the social media platform X, the US Central Command said that in the first 24 hours of the blockade, no ship could cross it. He told that 6 ships followed the instructions of the US Army and returned towards the Iranian port. However, 20 ships had passed before that.
A Chinese tanker was also among at least 8 ships that tried to pass through the sea on the first day of the blockade, i.e. Tuesday (14 April 2026). An American official said that on Tuesday, an American warship in the Gulf of Oman stopped two oil tankers trying to leave Iran’s Chabahar port. One of these ships is ‘Rich Starry’, which is owned by Shanghai Xuanran Shipping Company. America has already imposed sanctions on him for doing business with Iran. However, no immediate response could be received from the company.
Situation after the start of Iran-America war
According to Kepler data, ‘Rich Starry’ is a medium-sized tanker, which is filled with about 2.5 lakh barrels of methanol. This cargo was loaded from Hamriyah port of United Arab Emirates. According to LSEG data, ‘Alicia’, another big ship banned by the US, was seen entering the Gulf through this route on Wednesday (April 15, 2026). According to Kepler, this is a very large crude tanker, which has the capacity to carry about 2 million barrels of oil. Currently it is empty and there is a plan to go to Iraq to load oil on Thursday (16 April 2026). Due to this blockade, uncertainty has further increased among shipping companies, oil companies and insurance companies. According to industry sources, since the attack on Iran by America and Israel on February 28, the number of ships passing through this route has reduced significantly. Earlier, more than 130 ships used to pass every day, now this number has reduced considerably.
Also read: Iran-US Talks: Trump will end China’s lifeline! After Hormuz, now this sea route is under scrutiny, will India support America?