First LNG Carrier Among Three Omani Ships Breaking Out Through Hormuz

Three vessels, including the first LNG carrier in a month, were spotted making their way along the northern coast of Oman on Thursday, April 2, in an apparent breakout from the Persian Gulf. It appears Iran decided to look the other way as reports surfaced that Oman and Iran are in discussions for a protocol to manage the Strait of Hormuz.

The analysts at TankerTrackers.com had posted on Wednesday, “To our best knowledge, not a single LNG tanker departed via the Strait of Hormuz during March 2026.” They calculated that, “During entire March 2026, only 84 tankers have departed the Middle East region via the Strait of Hormuz. That's less than 3 tankers a day.”

The Sohar LNG (72,000 dwt) was spotted via its AIS signal underway on Thursday. The vessel, built in 2001 and currently registered in Panama, has been owned by Asyad Shipping since 2005. The AIS signals, which were confirmed by TankerTrackers.com with satellite images, showed the LNG carrier between two Omani crude oil tankers. All three were displaying a message that they were Omani ships as they made the transit.

The tanker Dhalkut (299,997 dwt) registered in the Marshall Islands, was at the head of the effective convoy of ships and, in its last AIS transmission, was rounding the Omani peninsula. Bringing up the rear was the tanker Habrut (319,439 dwt) also under the Marshall Island flag.

There was a difference of opinion if the three ships were laden. Bloomberg wrote in the morning that the Sohar LNG was apparently not loaded. TankerTrackers.com, however, wrote that it was laden with Emirati LNG and that the two crude tankers were carrying Saudi and Emirati crude.

Three tankers are hugging the Omani coast while all the other vessels are in the Iranian channel near Larak Island (Marine Traffic)

It was noted that they were taking a very unusual route outside the normal shipping lane. Several other ships appeared in Iran’s newly established route around Larak Island, with the normal center of the Strait of Hormuz still empty.

In a possible explanation, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Iran and Oman were drafting a “protocol” to facilitate and ensure safe passage through the Strait. They wrote that the Strait “should be supervised and coordinated.” They said the purpose would be to monitor transits through the Strait of Hormuz.

There was no mention of the Iranian toll system requiring ships to pay for their safe passage. Reports are that the Iranians are requiring payments in Chinese currency or cryptocurrency.

It comes as the list of countries reported to send shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues to grow. The Philippines Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday that it had concluded talks with Iran. It said that Iran had agreed to allow the passage of Philippine-flagged vessels and ensure the safety of Filipino seafarers. The country said it would be permitted to receive oil coming through the Strait. It is critical as the country depends on Saudi Arabia for its fuel imports.