Image for representation purposes only A Chinese-operated oil supertanker carrying nearly two million barrels of Iraqi crude has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Gulf of Oman, according to ship-tracking data. The vessel, Yuan Hua Hu, passed Iran’s Larak Island on Wednesday and was later seen moving toward waters near an area where the United States has set up a blockade on Iranian-linked shipping activity. The tanker is currently signalling Zhoushan in eastern China as its next destination and is expected to arrive on June 1, according to LSEG and Kpler tracking data. The crossing comes ahead of expected talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Per reports, discussions are expected to include the conflict in the Middle East and China’s ties with Tehran. The voyage is notable as it is only the third known transit by a Chinese very large crude carrier (VLCC) through the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28. According to shipping database Equasis, the vessel is owned and operated by units of COSCO Shipping. Tracking data showed the tanker loaded Basrah Medium crude at Iraq’s Basrah terminal in early March before remaining inside Gulf waters for more than two months. The ship was chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese state oil company Sinopec, according to shipping fixture data cited in the reports. The tanker briefly anchored near the Gulf of Oman close to the area where the US Navy established a blockade on Iranian vessels earlier this week. The vessel’s draft showed it was fully loaded or close to its carrying capacity of around two million barrels. During the transit, the ship publicly identified itself as a Chinese-owned vessel with a Chinese crew through AIS transmissions. Per reports, this has become a common safety measure for ships using the Tehran-approved route near Larak Island. Another vessel, the vehicle carrier Xiang Jiang Kou, also