Japan’s industry ministry said a tanker transporting crude oil from Azerbaijan is scheduled to arrive as early as Tuesday, according to Reuters.
The tanker marks the first oil shipment from Central Asia since the outbreak of the Iran war in February.
Prior to the US–Israeli war with Iran, Japan secured almost 95% of its crude oil imports from the Middle East.
War in Iran
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East.
Iran has been responding with a retaliatory counterattack in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East, leaving thousands dead, triggering unprecedented disruptions to energy supplies especially after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The adversaries remain locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran tightens its control over maritime traffic while the United States continues to enforce a blockade on Iranian ports.
Hormuz Blockade
The closure of Hormuz has significantly disrupted oil shipments and forced several countries like Japan to urgently diversify and secure alternative sources of crude oil.
Crucially, Japan’s refining infrastructure was largely built around crude oil from the Gulf region, designed to meet increasing domestic fuel demand during the country’s post–World War II economic expansion.
Japan has previously imported crude from Azerbaijan.
However, officials say the shipment set to arrive in Yokohama on Tuesday—destined for ENEOS—marks a remarkable breakthrough as the first such delivery since the outbreak of the Iran war.
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