Sanctioned Chinese Vessel Fails To Break US Blockade, Turns Back At Hormuz

Last Updated:April 15, 2026, 11:06 IST

Tracking data showed the Chinese tanker reversed course after exiting the Gulf a day earlier, becoming one of the first vessels to be forced back since the blockade was announced.

A US-sanctioned Chinese-owned tanker failed to breach a newly imposed American naval blockade and has turned back toward the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring Washington’s stepped-up pressure on shipping linked to Iran.

Tracking data showed the tanker Rich Starry reversed course on Wednesday after exiting the Gulf a day earlier, becoming one of the first vessels to be forced back since the blockade was announced.

The move follows US President Donald Trump’s declaration on Sunday of a maritime blockade targeting ships calling at Iranian ports, after peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad collapsed without an agreement.

The US military said enforcement began immediately. “During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade," the US Central Command said in a post on X, adding that six vessels were directed by US forces to turn around and re-enter Iranian ports.

CENTCOM said American destroyers are enforcing the blockade “impartially against vessels of all nations," with more than 300 sailors per ship trained for both offensive and defensive maritime operations, effectively placing the US Navy in a customs-enforcement role across the Persian Gulf.

The Rich Starry, which had been among at least eight vessels attempting to cross the waterway on the first day of the blockade, is owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co and is under US sanctions for dealings with Iran.

The medium-range tanker was carrying roughly 250,000 barrels of methanol loaded at Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates, according to shipping analytics firm Kpler. The company could not be reached for comment.

US officials also confirmed that a destroyer intercepted two oil tankers attempting to depart the Iranian port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, another sanctioned vessel, the VLCC Alicia, was reported entering the Gulf through the strait on Wednesday.

The empty tanker, capable of carrying up to two million barrels of crude, is en route to Iraq to load cargo later this week, according to Kpler data.

The blockade has injected fresh uncertainty into regional shipping, oil markets and war-risk insurance. Industry sources say traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains only a fraction of the more than 130 daily crossings recorded before the outbreak of the US-Israel conflict with Iran on February 28, highlighting the growing strain on one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.

News world Sanctioned Chinese Vessel Fails To Break US Blockade, Turns Back At Hormuz

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