Two Chinese tankers exit Strait of Hormuz, South Korean vessel en route - reports

[Map of Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic disruption, Gulf oil tanker routes, Middle East crisis 2026, Open]
Stefan Aue/E+ via Getty Images

Two Chinese tankers exited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, carrying around 4M barrels of crude, _Reuters _reported citing shipping data, as President Trump and Vice President JD Vance signaled that the Iran war may end soon.

The ships [https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tankers-exit-hormuz-trump-vance-talk-up-iran-deal-prospects-2026-05-20/] are among a handful of supertankers carrying Iraqi crude exiting the waterway this month.

Meanwhile, a South Korean tanker laden with Kuwaiti crude is exiting the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran. The tanker is one of 26 South Korea-linked vessels currently in or near the waterway, the _Korea Herald _reported [https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10742061].

As of May 18, only 15M barrels of crude loaded on eight tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz this month, according to data from S&P Global Commodities at Sea.

Trump on Tuesday said the war would end "very quickly," ‌after which oil prices will "plummet."

Vance talked up progress in negotiations with Tehran, saying the conflict "is not a forever war" and reiterating that Iran cannot have a nuclear ​weapon.

MORE ON CRUDE OIL

* Commodities: Oil Rallies With U.S.-Iran Deadlock [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4905985-commodities-oil-rallies-us-iran-deadlock]
* $200 Oil Shock Looms Amid Bubble Warning--How To Position Your Portfolio [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4905624-macro-insights-200-oil-shock-looms-amidst-bubble-warninghow-to-position-your-portfolio]
* Sitting, Waiting, Wishing... For Energy Flows To Resume [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4905179-sitting-waiting-wishing-energy-flows-resume]
* Crude oil edges lower as traders await clarity on U.S.-Iran talks [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4595103-crude-oil-edges-lower-as-traders-await-clarity-on-us-iran-talks]
* U.S. crude stockpiles fell 9.1M barrels last week, API says [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4595100-u-s-crude-stockpiles-fell-9_1m-barrels-last-week-api-says]