An oil tanker has navigated the Strait of Hormuz on route to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lift crude oil, marking one of the few voyages through the strategic waterway since regional hostilities disrupted shipping flows across the Middle East, according to industry sources and vessel-tracking data cited by Reuters.

The Suezmax tanker *Pola* temporarily stopped transmitting its Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal on March 2 as it neared the Strait. The vessel’s tracking signal resumed on March 3 off the coast of Abu Dhabi, data from LSEG indicated.

Trade sources said the tanker is bound for the port of Jebel Dhanna, where it is scheduled to load Abu Dhabi’s flagship Murban crude grade for delivery to Thailand. The sources requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. Dynacom Tankers, the ship manager, was not immediately available for comment outside regular business hours.

Maritime activity in the Gulf has been severely impacted by the ongoing US -Israeli conflict with Iran. The escalation has disrupted energy exports across the region, with reported attacks on vessels and energy infrastructure, as well as navigational restrictions in the Gulf. Several producers, including Qatar and Iraq, have faced operational interruptions amid the security challenges.

Vessel-tracking data from Vortexa showed that crude tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped sharply following the outbreak of hostilities. On March 1, only four tankers transited the waterway, compared to a daily average of 24 vessels recorded since January.

The recent voyage underscores tentative efforts by some market participants to resume crude flows through one of the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoints despite continued geopolitical uncertainty.