Japan-owned tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz

TOKYO - A Japanese shipping firm said on Monday that an Indian-flagged tanker owned by its subsidiary had passed through the Strait of Hormuz and was en route to the South Asian country.

Iran has effectively closed the strait -- a critical route for global crude oil and gas -- in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that began on February 28.

The near closing of the international artery has led to fuel shortages and soaring energy prices across the globe.

A spokeswoman of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines told AFP the LPG tanker Green Asha had crossed the strait.

"Both the crew and the cargo are safe," she said.

It was the third Japan-linked ship to transit the strait.

On Saturday, India's government said the LPG tanker Green Sanvi, also owned by Mitsui's subsidiary, had safely transited the strait.

A day earlier, three tankers, including one co-owned by Mitsui, crossed the strait.

Mitsui's Sohar LNG vessel was the first LNG tanker to have crossed the strait since March 1.

The few vessels that have crossed the choke point since the start of the Middle East war have passed using an Iranian-approved route through its waters near Larak Island, dubbed the "Tehran Toll Booth" by leading shipping journal Lloyd's List.