Japan-linked oil tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz, second such transit since war

A Panama-flagged oil tanker managed by Japan's Eneos passed through the Strait of Hormuz safely, the second Japan-linked vessel to do so since the war disrupted shipping through the waterway, ship-tracking data showed on Thursday.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she had directly contacted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to allow the vessel's transit. The tanker has four Japanese crew members onboard.

Eneos Chief Executive Miyata Tomohide said the tanker was carrying crude from Kuwait and the UAE and was expected to arrive in Japan in late May or early June.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Japan did not pay Iran a toll for the transit. Takaichi said 39 Japan-related vessels remained stranded in the region.