Supertanker Tests Blockade With Second Gulf Entry Attempt

A supertanker headed to pick up crude from Iraq is making a second attempt on Wednesday to pass through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf in what could be the first tanker to make it west into the Persian Gulf since the U.S. on Monday initiated a blockade in the Gulf of Oman outside the chokepoint. The Agios Fanourios I, a very large crude carrier flying the flag of Malta and not blacklisted by any jurisdiction, is broadcasting its position in the Persian Gulf and signals it is headed for Basrah in Iraq, according to vessel-tracking data on MarineTraffic. …