The Week in Charts: Two India-bound LPG carriers exit Hormuz as BRICS gathers in New Delhi | Greek fleet adapts to conflict‑shaped routes and shifting global demand
- LPG carriers Symi and NV Sunshine were confirmed to have crossed the Strait of Hormuz on May 13 and are bound for Kandla and New Mangalore respectively
- President Xi said his country would oppose any toll in the Strait of Hormuz at a meeting with US President Trump in Beijing
- Greek-controlled fleet activity rose 1%, with more Greek‑affiliated vessels and port calls recorded in 2025
Lloyd’s List’s weekly showing of the data and figures behind our news, analysis and markets coverage
TWO more India-bound liquefied petroleum gas carriers successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz, as the conflict in Iran continues to put a strain on energy exports out of the Middle East Gulf, reported senior reporter, APAC, Matthew Rajendra.
Marshall Islands-flagged Symi (IMO: 9406269) and Vietnam-flagged NV Sunshine (IMO: 9350288) successfully transited the strait on May 13 and May 14, Indian officials said.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data shows Symi going dark on May 12 near Sharjah, UAE before reappearing near Muscat, Oman in the Gulf of Oman more than 24 hours later, on May 13.
Trump and Xi urge opening of Hormuz, but safe passage still depends on nationality
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy, wrote senior reporter Joshua Minchin.
The two leaders met privately in Beijing as part of Trump’s state visit to China last week, during which Xi said both sides had set a “new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability”, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua said.
That new “constructive” relationship includes a unified front on the importance of an open Hormuz, through which China still imports a significant amount of its energy.
Greek fleet adapts to conflict‑shaped routes and shifting global demand
The Greek‑controlled fleet extended its global footprint in 2025, posting a marginal but telling rise in port call activity, despite a trading environment shaped by Middle East conflict, Suez avoidance and structural rerouteing across key east–west corridors, wrote senior reporter Ece Göksedef.
Lloyd’s List analysis of Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows 5,798 Greek vessels generated 158,513 port calls last year, representing a 1% uplift in 2024.
The increase is modest, but in a year defined by operational friction and tonne-mile inflation, it signals a fleet that is not only resilient but actively repositioning to capture earnings upside from longer voyages.
Second Japan-linked tanker crosses Hormuz as Tokyo pushes Tehran for safe transits
A second Japan-linked tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz last week as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pressed on with talks with Tehran to ensure safe passage for other Japanese vessels in the Middle East Gulf, reported Matthew Rajendra.
Very large crude carrier Eneos Endeavor (IMO: 9924091) re-emerged in the Gulf of Oman in the evening of May 13 after going dark for close to 48 hours according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data.
The VLCC began loading up on Kuwaiti crude oil at the port of Mina’ al Ahmadi on February 26 and was stuck in the MEG after attacks began on February 28.
Crude trade dynamics unsustainable, promising tanker shift ahead
The initial panic-driven “scramble” phase of the Hormuz crisis is over for crude tankers. What happens next if traffic through the strait remains effectively closed for months longer, beyond a point that is sustainable for inventory draws, reported senior maritime reporter, Greg Miller.
Will there be a renewed scramble for crude cargoes if there is no resolution in the short term? Will that be followed by a fixture slowdown due to demand destruction?
“If the Strait of Hormuz opens today, it will still take months for the market to rebalance,” said Saudi Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser.
