Jakarta. The last trapped Indonesian oil tanker has recently exited the Strait of Hormuz and is set to arrive back home on July 23, ending months of war-induced uncertainty.

After a US-Israeli fatal surprise attack on Tehran in late February, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz —a key maritime chokepoint — had ground to a halt following Iran’s retaliatory blockade. The move had caused two Indonesian oil tankers belonging to the state-owned energy firm Pertamina to remain stuck for months. The Gamsunoro had exited the narrow waterway on June 24, not long after the US-Iran preliminary agreement. Pertamina Pride, the other trapped Indonesian ship, followed suit earlier this week.

Vega Pita, the acting corporate secretary of the maritime logistics arm Pertamina International Shipping, told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday that the vessels could “now return to normal operations”.

Pertamina Pride is now on a 15-day journey before it reaches Indonesia.

The tanker, which can carry roughly 2 million barrels of crude, is bound for Central Java’s Cilacap for energy shipments.

“Pertamina Pride had to pass dozens of requirements [before the exit], including the technical aspects, crew and operational readiness, insurance, and so on,” Vega said.

“All our crewmembers, as well as the tanker itself, are safe and sound.”

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang said that the passage of both ships has shown “positive developments in the region, although the situation remains highly dynamic”.

An estimated 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products crossed the strait each day before the war. This size of traffic automatically makes any disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz a fatal blow to global energy markets. 

Foreign Minister Sugiono is set to meet his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, later this week for talks, according to Yvonne. She neither confirmed nor denied when asked whether Jakarta would take the opportunity to demand free passage in the strait. 

“Our foreign ministers will discuss priority sectors for both countries to strengthen bilateral friendship. And of course, the meeting will cover regional and global challenges,” Yvonne told a news conference.

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