Japanese Oil Tanker Crosses the Strait of Hormuz En Route to Nagoya

Misbar’s team tracked, through navigation data, the passage of the oil tanker IDEMITSU MARU, operated by the Japanese refining company Idemitsu Kosan and bearing IMO number 9334210, as it transited the Strait of Hormuz on a voyage toward Japan.

Data from MarineTraffic for the IDEMITSU MARU, which sails under the Panamanian flag, indicate that it is a crude oil tanker built in 2007 with a deadweight tonnage of 300,433 tons. It is currently listed as “fully laden,” with a draft of 20.1 meters, suggesting a cargo of roughly 2 million barrels of crude oil.

The vessel’s track shows it departed on April 17, 2026, from the Saudi port of Ras Tanura. However, it did not immediately leave the region, instead entering a “waiting” status in the waters of the Arabian Gulf for about 10 days, between April 18 and 27, before resuming its journey and crossing the Strait of Hormuz into the waters of the Gulf of Oman.

Tracking data show the tanker’s route in green during its current presence in the Gulf of Oman after transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while its speed slowed and the track color shifted to yellow during its passage through the strait.

According to the latest navigation update, the vessel is currently sailing at a speed of 15 knots toward the southeast (bearing 142 degrees). It has covered approximately 903 nautical miles since departing the Saudi port, with about 5,870 nautical miles remaining to reach its destination at the port of Nagoya (JP NGO). Its estimated time of arrival is May 17, 2026, at 4:33 a.m. local time in Japan.

In this context, the data indicate that the continued voyages of Japanese tankers of this scale, adhering to extended schedules, reflect the persistence of international maritime traffic despite geopolitical challenges.

This voyage, despite the temporary halt in Gulf waters, forms part of the ongoing flow of oil tankers between the Arabian Gulf and Japan amid the region’s geopolitical tensions.

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