Vietnam asks US to allow ‘extremely important’ oil tanker to slip past Hormuz blockade

Vietnam’s state oil company urged the US to let a supertanker pass through an American naval blockade outside the Persian Gulf, saying the shipment is critical to the Asian country’s economy.The very large crude carrier Agios Fanourios I, managed by Athens-based Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, performed a mid-ocean U-turn on Monday at around the point where the US blockade begins. It had only just cleared the Strait of Hormuz, holding 1.99 million barrels of Iraq’s Basrah Medium crude, when it turned back, according to ship tracking and paperwork.PetroVietnam Oil, the trading arm of the state energy company, confirmed to US Naval Forces Central Command that it owned the cargo on the Agios Fanourios I and that it was loaded in Iraq, according to a letter. The vessel is still signalling its destination as Nghi Son, home to a refinery in the Asian country.