Idemitsu Oil Tanker Arrives in Japan after Hormuz Passage

Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–An Idemitsu Tanker Co. crude oil tanker entered the Ise Bay in central Japan on Monday morning, becoming the first oil tanker to arrive in the country after passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict between the U.S.-Israel side and Iran. The Idemitsu Maru, operated by the Idemitsu Kosan Co. unit, sailed through the strait, currently under a de facto blockade, in late April without paying passage fees to Iran, according to Idemitsu Kosan and other sources. Carrying about 300,000 kiloliters of Saudi crude oil, equivalent to one day of Japan’s domestic consumption, the vessel was moored off Chita, Aichi Prefecture. The oil will be unloaded at the Aichi Complex in the city and refined into gasoline and petrochemical raw materials. Among other tankers for oil shipments to Japan, the Eneos Endeavor, owned by a group company of Eneos Corp., passed through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month and is expected to arrive in Japan later this month or in early June. A liquefied natural gas tanker of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. has also passed through the strait, it was learned Monday. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]