China risks Trump fury as tanker travels through Strait of Hormuz despite US blockade

The US blockade started on Monday afternoon (Image: Getty)

A Chinese tanker under US sanctions travelled through the Strait of Hormuz, maritime data show. Data from Kpler and MarineTraffic seen by Reuters showed the Rich Starry travelling through the vital shipping route after circling the area yesterday. The vessel is owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd and was slapped with sanctions after transporting Iranian crude oil.

At the time it passed through the Strait, it was carrying roughly 250,000 barrels of methanol, which was loaded on at its last port of call in Hamriyah, UAE, the data showed. Rich Starry was the third Iran-linked ship to enter the Gulf via the Strait on Tuesday, with the handy tanker Murlikishan headed to Iraq to load fuel oil, according to Kpler data.

Multiple ships have made it through despite the US blockade. (Image: Getty)

It typically transports Iranian naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, to other ports in the Middle East before it's exported to Asia, according to Kpler data.

All three of them were allowed to pass through the Strait as they were not heading to Iranian ports, and therefore not covered by the US blockade.

The presence of a Chinese ship in the waterway comes after the country's Foreign Ministry slammed the blockade as "dangerous and irresponsible".

Spokesman Guo Jiakun said it would only "exacerbate tensions and undermine the already fragile ceasefire agreement". He added: "This is dangerous and irresponsible behaviour."

This comes after reports surfaced that China would deliver new air defence systems to Iran, though Beijing dismissed this as "completely fabricated".