A grain ship carrying corn destined for Iran entered the Persian Gulf,
breaking the US blockade at the Strait of Hormuz. This occurred on the eve of a planned interim peace agreement between the US and Iran to open the waterway.
The Verbier, a Panamax bulk carrier with a capacity of approximately 70,000 tonnes of dry cargo, is delivering corn to the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini. Data on the ship's movements was provided by Bloomberg and Kpler.
Previously, Iran-linked vessels approaching the blockade were turned back, inspected, or disabled by the US Navy. Something similar may have happened to the Verbier on June 7: the ship passed through the Red Sea toward the coast of Oman, then abruptly turned back toward India. Two days later, it again set course for the Persian Gulf.
The vessel was last spotted on June 12 near the Strait of Hormuz, after which it disappeared from tracking systems. It reappeared today, this time inside the Persian Gulf.
A second Panamax bulk carrier carrying grain, the Kmax Evdokia, is carrying corn from Argentina and Brazil and is currently anchored at Port Zayed in Abu Dhabi. This vessel was last spotted on June 13 near the Strait of Hormuz, after which it also disappeared from public tracking systems. It reappeared on June 16 off the west coast of the UAE.
Iranian media reported on Tuesday that the US blockade of Iranian ports, imposed in mid-April, was being lifted.