By Mukesh 
Umm Al Ashtan, the LNG carrier that had set sail from Dahej, Gujarat, to the Persian Gulf for loading, has dropped anchor at Khor Fakkan, just downstream of the Strait of Hormuz, as per marinetraffic.com. The ship would have been among the first to cross the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf of Oman to load cargo if it had made the scheduled transit on Friday (May 1, 2026).
Umm Al Ashtan had stayed close to Oman during its transit unlike typical Iran-approved transits that hug the Iranian coast. The scheduled passage of the ship had given hope of normalcy returning.