Idemitsu tanker to reach Japan as early as May 25 after exiting Strait of Hormuz

ENEOS Holdings

22/05/2026 09:19

TOKYO, May 22 (Reuters) - Panama-flagged tanker Idemitsu Maru, the first crude oil tanker headed for Japan to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the Iran war, will reach the country as early as May 25, the Japanese government said on Friday.

The tanker is scheduled to arrive at Idemitsu Kosan's 5019.T refinery in central Japan's Aichi prefecture, the country's industrial heartland. The facility has a refining capacity of 163,000 barrels per day.

Idemitsu Maru, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), is carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil.

A tanker carrying crude oil from the United Arab Emirates arrived at refiner Eneos' 5020.T Kiire terminal in southwestern Japan's Kagoshima prefecture on Friday, an industry ministry official also said.

The ministry official declined to comment on the size of the UAE cargo, which will be used to replenish oil tanks that hold reserves that can be loaned to oil-producing countries.

 (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Tom Hogue)

 ((kiyoshi.takenaka@thomsonreuters.com;))