Another MOL-owned, UK-linked VLCC is expected to be escorted by the British Royal Navy when passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tension between Iran and the UK.
Based on Kpler’s prediction, the 302,300-dwt Atlantic Pioneer (built 2009) will wait for an escort from the naval ship HMS Montrose before entering the chokepoint.
“Atlantic Pioneer is another … vessel at risk of being detained in the Persian Gulf,” the cargo intelligence provider said.
On Thursday, the VLCC apparently cancelled its crude loading at Ras Tanura before being diverted away from the Saudi oil port, said Kpler, without elaborating.
According to data from Bloomberg, Atlantic Pioneer is entering the strait on Friday before sailing further to Sikka, with an estimated time of final arrival on 15 July.
The Japanese shipowner has yet to respond to an email seeking comment. The UK’s defence ministry has refrained from going into specifics on which ships would receive protection from the Royal Navy.
Tehran has threatened to retaliate against the UK after Royal Marines seized the 301,000-dwt Grace 1 (built 1997) off Gibraltar last week on suspicion of shipping Iranian oil to Syria, which violated European Union sanctions.
The worsening UK-Iran relationship has come at a time when geopolitical tension in the Middle East is already running high following six tanker attacks near the strait in May and June.
Vessels owned by British interests or flagged in the UK, a British Overseas Territory or a British Crown Dependency could face heightened security risks when operating in the Middle East Gulf, some industry officials believe.
On Tuesday, the Royal Navy deployed two vessels to sail alongside the MOL-owned, 302,290-dwt Pacific Voyager (built 2009) for about half a day while it passed through the strait, Bloomberg reported.
Then, the defence ministry said three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of the BP-operated tanker British Heritage (built 2017) through the strait on Thursday.
HMS Montrose had to train its guns on the Iranian boats to warned them off, according to US and UK officials.
Iranian officials have denied any involvement in the incident.
The alleged obstruction has caught some by surprise as the 158,000-dwt British Heritage is owned by China’s state-run ICBC Leasing while on long-term lease to BP. China remains one of the few buyers of Iranian crude after Washington re-imposed secondary sanctions on the Islamic republic.
Like Atlantic Pioneer, Pacific Voyager and British Heritage are flagged in the Isle of Man, a Crown Dependency.
The UK has put British ships operating in the Gulf on the highest state of alert, level 3. The department for transport said it would continue to provide security advice to UK and Red Ensign Group Shipping on how they should operate in areas of high risk.
