China-linked oil tankers gather near Strait of Hormuz amid ceasefire uncertainty

• Iran says vessels still need Tehran’s permission to transit strait, while traffic shows little change a day after truce announcement

Two fully laden Chinese oil tankers were waiting near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, as uncertainty persists over safe passage through the strategic waterway, according to MarineTraffic data.

The Cospearl Lake, a large crude carrier linked to China’s state-owned Cosco Shipping Corp., and the He Rong Hai, owned by a smaller company, moved east at high speed early Thursday before slowing to a near standstill, the data showed.

The two vessels could potentially become the first to leave the Persian Gulf under the day-old US-Iran ceasefire.

Both vessels are signaling Chinese ownership on their tracking systems, a step typically taken during Iran-approved transits.

The tankers are among a growing number of vessels gathering near the entrance to the strait off the UAE.

A Saudi Arabian-flagged VLCC, the Jaham, also moved east toward a holding area off Dubai. It joined two fully laden Indian-flagged supertankers, the Desh Vibhor and the Desh Vaibhav, which have remained in the area since late March.

The buildup suggests some shipowners may be preparing to test a possible reopening of the strait after weeks of disruption, although passage conditions remain unclear.

Iran and the US agreed to pause fighting in exchange for reopening the strait, but limited operational detail has emerged and continued attacks, including Israeli strikes in Lebanon, have raised questions over the durability and effectiveness of the ceasefire.

Traffic through Hormuz has shown little change since the truce was announced a day earlier.

On Wednesday, only four vessels were allowed through, the lowest recorded in April, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data cited by the Wall Street Journal.

Before the war, more than 100 ships crossed the strait daily without any coordination with Iranian authorities.

Iran warned vessels in radio transmissions on Wednesday that transits still require permission from Tehran.

Iranian media also reported that the country has designated specific routes for vessels transiting Hormuz, with both inbound and outbound traffic directed around Larak Island.