The Chinese tanker Rich Starry, which is subject to US sanctions, passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, despite the US Navy’s blockade of the key waterway, shipping data showed.

This appears to be the first vessel to successfully transit the Strait of Hormuz and leave the Persian Gulf since the blockade began, according to shipping data from MarineTraffic and Kpler.

The vessel’s owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd, like the tanker itself, is on the US sanctions list for commercial ties with Iran. Reuters was unable to immediately obtain a comment from the company.

The Rich Starry is a mid-sized tanker carrying approximately 250,000 barrels of methanol. It was loaded at the port of Hamriyah in the UAE.

According to LSEG data, the Chinese tanker has a Chinese crew on board.

Another US-sanctioned tanker, the Murlikishan, sailed toward the Gulf on Tuesday, according to LSEG data. According to Kpler, the empty Handysize tanker, previously known as the MKA and used to transport Russian and Iranian oil, is scheduled to load fuel oil in Iraq on April 16.

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