Iranian crude oil flows appeared to surge following the lifting of a months-long US naval blockade on the Islamic Republic’s ports, even as visible traffic from its neighbors thinned.

Russia moved closer to deploying its second domestically built Arc7 icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier on Thursday as the Konstantin Posyet was named at a ceremony attended via video link by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, signalling the vessel is nearing commercial service.

Three Saudi-flagged supertankers with six million barrels of crude onboard sailed through the Strait of Hormuz hours after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a deal with Iran over an end to their war, ship tracking data showed on Thursday.

Two oil tankers heading toward Africa have u-turned in the Indian Ocean this week, switching their destinations to the Middle East as shipowners race to re-position vessels ahead of the possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Britain on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four liquefied natural gas carriers linked to Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project, becoming the first G7 country to target the latest vessels acquired to expand exports from the sanctioned Arctic development.

The United States military has overseen scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters in an operation to guide convoys to awaiting tankers.

Ensuring the Strait of Hormuz is safe from mines could delay a return to normal shipping traffic by weeks following a deal to reopen the waterway, shipping and maritime security sources say.

A US-Iran deal intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days has been met with caution by shipowners and traders, with many saying they would need more details in order to assess whether safe transits are possible after months of false starts.

The European Union has sanctioned the shipping subsidiaries of Russian energy giants Gazprom and Lukoil, broadening its crackdown on Moscow’s oil transportation network and increasingly targeting companies linked to the country’s so-called shadow fleet.

Oil markets have reacted with enthusiasm to an interim agreement between US and Iran which should reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore oil and gas flows — but that return to normality could be months away, analysts warn.

LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) – British armed forces intercepted a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Channel on Sunday, leading for the first time an operation to disrupt the oil...

(Bloomberg) — U.S. forces are helping move millions of barrels through the Strait of Hormuz under the cover of darkness, sometimes escorting more than 20 ships per night out of...