The Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), Idemitsu Maru, has passed through the Strait of Hormuz on its way to Nagoya with a cargo of 2 million barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia. The vessel also carries a reminder that it was the Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan that broke the British blockade of Iran in 1953.
According to maritime analytics provider Marine Traffic, the Idemitsu Maru is now in the Gulf of Oman and is expected to arrive in Japan on May 18. Idemitsu Kosan has not commented on the report so far.
The Idemitsu Maru is the first Japanese oil tanker to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran. “Maru”, meaning circle or ring, is a suffix often attached to the name of a Japanese ship.
In early April, the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Sohar LNG and the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker Green Sanvi, both owned by Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K., exited the Persian Gulf.
The Japanese government, which has maintained a low-profile relationship with Iran since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, has been in talks with Iranian officials for the past two months about ending hostilities and opening the Strait.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met the Iranian ambassador to Tokyo on March 2 and spoke by telephone with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on April 15.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a telephone conference with Iranian President Pezeshkian on April 8. The ongoing Japanese diplomatic efforts are now producing results.
The Nissho Maru Incident
In 1951, following the nationalization of British oil interests by newly elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, the British navy blockaded the Iranian oil port of Abadan at the head of the Persian Gulf.
In 1952, the US-led military occupation of Japan ended, and as the Japanese oil industry sought to reestablish itself, Idemitsu Kosan began importing high-octane gasoline from California. But seeking to maintain control of the Japanese market, US oil majors cut off supplies.
Faced with ruin, Idemitsu Kosan founder Sazo Idemitsu turned to Iran. After difficult negotiations, the Idemitsu-owned tanker Nissho Maru sailed for the Iranian port of Abadan at the head of the Persian Gulf in March 1953.
Undetected on its way in, the Japanese ship was given an enthusiastic reception that was reported worldwide and made the front pages in Japan.
In April, the Nissho Maru departed Abadan fully loaded, evaded the blockade and returned to Japan. Afraid of bad press, the British let it go.
This story was told in a best-selling historical novel by Japanese writer and nationalist politician Naoki Hyakuta, entitled “Kaizoku to yobareta otoko” – “A Man Called Pirate” in English. Published in 2012, the book was the basis for a popular 2016 movie.
With more than 40 Japanese vessels still stuck in the Persian Gulf, it was no accident that an oil tanker named Idemitsu Maru was allowed to exit the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
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