The trading arm of Vietnam’s state oil company has called on the United States Navy to permit a crude oil tanker carrying Iraqi oil to proceed through the Middle East Gulf blockade to supply a key Vietnamese refinery, according to a letter seen on Tuesday.
Petrovietnam Oil Corporation (PVOIL) said it had formally appealed for the vessel to be allowed safe passage to ensure critical crude supplies reach the Nghi Son Refinery.
The request comes as the U.S. military expands its maritime blockade enforcement in the region, targeting cargoes it deems contraband, while stating that other legitimate oil shipments in the Gulf remain unaffected.
The Maltese-flagged supertanker Agios Fanourios I, carrying around 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, reportedly exited the Strait of Hormuz on May 10 before reversing course in the Gulf of Oman a day later, according to ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic.
U.S. Central Command said American forces redirected the vessel as part of ongoing enforcement operations linked to the blockade against Iran. However, it did not clarify whether the tanker would ultimately be allowed to continue its journey to Vietnam.
It remains unclear whether Washington will approve PVOIL’s request for the cargo to proceed.
The vessel had earlier transited the Strait of Hormuz via Iran’s designated shipping route for oil tankers, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The disruption comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly 20 per cent of global energy supplies pass—facing significant shipping disruptions and vessel delays.
In its appeal, PVOIL vice-president Hoang Dinh Tung stressed that the crude shipment is vital for Vietnam’s energy security.
“This cargo is of extreme importance to the Nghi Son Refinery, to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and to the Vietnamese people,” he said in the letter dated May 12.
He warned that refinery inventories were already at critically low levels, adding that further delays could force operational shutdowns with widespread impacts on consumers and industries.
PVOIL confirmed that the cargo consists of Basra crude oil sold by Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) and loaded between April 10 and 14.
