U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transit the Strait of Hormuz during heightened tensions with Iran in a photo released by U.S. Central Command on May 7, 2026. Photo courtesy CENTCOM.<\/p>\n
Iran-Linked LPG Tanker Sails Past US Navy\u2019s Blockade Line<\/p>\n
May 13, 2026 (Bloomberg) \u2013A liquefied petroleum gas carrier, which has previously ferried Iranian cargoes, has sailed past the blockade boundary announced last month by the US Navy.<\/p>\n
Very large gas carrier<\/p>\n
crossed the formal US line \u2014 stretching from Oman\u2019s Ras al Hadd to the Iran-Pakistan border \u2014 late on Tuesday and is currently sailing in a southeasterly direction in the Arabian Sea, ship-tracking data show.<\/p>\n
Since the US declared it would impose a blockade in response to Iran\u2019s tightening grip on the Strait of Hormuz, warships have<\/p>\n
some vessels well beyond this point, but the line remains a guide for ship captains and owners. At least one oil tanker appears to have<\/p>\n
Shipping across the Middle East has been<\/p>\n
ever since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran at the end of February. Vessels looking to transit the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman now have to consider competing demands from both countries\u2019 navies, or face the risks of being attacked or getting seized.<\/p>\n
has been singled out by advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran and some<\/p>\n
under its former name, Gas Global, for its links to Iran. For its current voyage, Tara Gas lifted Iranian liquefied petroleum gas in early May, according to current assessments from ship-tracking platforms Kpler and Vortexa.<\/p>\n
The US Central Command<\/p>\n
Tuesday it has redirected 65 commercial vessels and disabled four since the blockade began.<\/p>\n
The VLGC\u2019s owner is listed as Global Gas Inc., which is based in the United Arab Emirates, according to database Equasis. Its manager is listed as Matrix Maritime Solutions FZE, which shares Global Gas\u2019s address. Matrix Maritime Solutions didn\u2019t answer a call made to its listed phone number.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg L.P.<\/p>\n