Two Pertamina VLCCs Clear Hormuz After Four Months Stranded as Crude Falls 11.9%

Two very large crude carriers held in the Arabian Gulf since March 2026 have cleared the Strait of Hormuz, and world crude prices fell 11.9% after the strait reopened, according to Alonesia.

The VLCC Pertamina Pride, owned by PT Pertamina International Shipping (PIS), left the Arabian Gulf on Tuesday, July 7 at 13:00 Dubai time, or 16:00 Western Indonesia Time, and passed the critical zone and the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, July 8 at 00:15 Western Indonesia Time. The tanker carries about 2 million barrels of crude.

The second vessel, the MT Gamsunoro, had already exited the Arabian Gulf and transited Hormuz safely on June 24, 2026, after being held by the deteriorating security situation since March. That brings to two the number of previously stranded PIS ships now back in normal operation.

PIS logged dozens of requirements to be met before the ship was cleared to move, covering insurance protection, technical and operational readiness, security systems, and crew preparedness. The decision to transit was taken after a full risk analysis weighing security conditions, insurance cover, and crew readiness.

The vessel was monitored around the clock for the full 24 hours of each day during the passage, with the crew coordinating with a shore team on standby at the PIS crisis center.

"Keselamatan awak kapal menjadi prioritas utama," said Muhammad Baron, Vice President Corporate Communication at PT Pertamina (Persero), stating that crew safety is the top priority and that all Pertamina Pride crew are safe and the ship can continue its voyage to Indonesia as planned.

The Pertamina Pride is continuing to the Pertamina refinery at Cilacap, in the province of Central Java, to deliver crude for national energy supply. PIS estimates roughly 15 days of sailing before arrival in Indonesia on July 23, 2026.

Pertamina attributes the outcome to risk management and intensive coordination with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian embassy in Tehran, Iran. "Pertamina berterima kasih atas dukungan penuh Kemenlu dan KBRI Teheran," Baron said, adding that the cooperation allowed the Gamsunoro and the Pertamina Pride to leave the Arabian Gulf area. Vega Pita, acting corporate secretary at PIS, extended the same thanks and said in Jakarta on Thursday, July 9, 2026 that the two vessels held since March can resume normal operations.

The transit followed military action in the same waters. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it launched retaliatory strikes after three oil tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, hitting more than 80 Iranian targets including air defense systems, coastal radars, and fast attack craft, according to a BBC report cited on Wednesday, July 8.

For crude markets, the reopening removes the freight and transit risk that had kept two loaded VLCCs immobile for four months. The 11.9% drop in world crude prices came after Hormuz was opened, according to Alonesia. A single VLCC of this class moves up to 2 million barrels per voyage, which sets the scale of the cargo that had been sitting outside the market.

PT Pertamina, through Pertamina International Shipping, confirmed the safe transit. The company statement carrying Baron's remarks was dated Thursday, July 8, 2026, and jpnn.com published its account from Jakarta on Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 20:28 Western Indonesia Time. The Alonesia report was published on Friday, July 10, 2026 at 05:20 Western Indonesia Time, signed by Dede Abdurahman.

Separately, Alonesia reported that Indonesia's attorney general's office assessed state losses at IDR 285 trillion in an alleged corruption case involving Pertamina crude oil.