Empty Supertankers Swarm America’s Gulf Coast for “Hormuz-Starved” Oil
Because the Strait of Hormuz is still blocked/messy with mines and high tensions, Middle Eastern oil (from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, etc.) can’t flow normally to Asia and Europe. So the world is suddenly turning to the United States as the emergency supplier.
In a striking reversal of global energy flows, dozens of empty Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), each capable of hauling roughly 2 million barrels of oil, are racing across the oceans straight toward the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Rory Johnston, one of the top oil-market and shipping analysts in the world, highlighted the dramatic scene in a post that quickly went viral Friday night. “Very cool seeing the wave of empty tankers heading to the US to pick up some desperately needed crude for Hormuz-starved markets,” he wrote, sharing live shipping maps showing the giant vessels converging on Texas and Louisiana ports.
The Strait of Hormuz remains dangerously clogged with Iranian mines that Tehran itself cannot locate or clear, despite ceasefire promises.
In addition to this, Iran is limiting ships transiting through the strait and charging ridiculous bounties to allow the oil tankers through.
With Middle East supply frozen, the world is now turning to American crude as the emergency lifeline.
President Trump has framed the situation as a major win for the United States, calling U.S. oil “the sweetest oil anywhere in the world.” While American forces have begun mine-clearing operations in the strait, the supertanker armada shows just how urgently the rest of the planet needs American barrels right now.