Half-Full Tanker Heading to Japan Highlights Scramble for Oil

By Weilun Soon, Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yuji Okada

Apr 16, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A partially filled supertanker heading to Japan after receiving its Middle Eastern oil cargo via a ship transfer at sea highlights the desperate measures the nation’s refiners are taking to secure supply quickly. 

The Bright Horizon, a very-large crude carrier, is currently sailing south from waters off Mumbai, signaling Japan’s Kiire as its destination, according to ship-tracking data. The tanker received the cargo of Omani oil from a Suezmax called Shenlong on Monday through an offshore transfer.

Japan has been in a race to secure crude supplies after the Iran