Three ships heading through the Strait of Hormuz

TT

Published 12.22

         

         In March, the Liberian-flagged Shenlong Suezmax, loaded with oil bound for India, was one of the             few foreign oil ships that Iranian forces allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Rafiq             Maqbool /AP/TT

A Greek oil tanker bound for Malaysia passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf this morning. Two Chinese oil tankers are on their way to make the same passage.

If all three ships pass, it will be the most intense oil traffic through the strait since early March.

The passages are being made after the United States and Iran agreed this week to a two-week ceasefire.

It normally takes eight hours for large oil tankers to pass through the strait, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies pass every day.

Iran has blocked most energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel began bombing the country on February 28. This has led to a global price shock for gas, oil and other commodities.