The first shipment of Canadian crude oil since 2025 is en route to Japan on a tanker chartered by Exxon Mobil, according to data from tracking firm Kpler. The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel Freedom Glory, capable of carrying up to 750,000 barrels, departed Vancouver on Wednesday loaded with crude from the Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX).

The latest TMX oil shipment was purchased by Japan's largest refiner, Eneos. On Thursday, Tokyo cut its growth forecast for this year to 0.9% from 1.3% due to higher oil prices.

Until the US and Israeli regimes launched a war on Iran in February, Japan imported over 90% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, Japan is among several Asian countries urgently seeking to diversify suppliers after the war choked oil shipments through Hormuz.

The Trans Mountain pipeline carries up to 890,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta to a marine terminal in Burnaby, British Columbia. Owned by the federal government, the pipeline has been running at nearly 90% capacity since Q3 2025.

Exports via TMX to Asia accounted for nearly 77% of total oil exports from Vancouver this year, compared to about 51% in 2024. India, Malaysia, and Singapore have all returned to buying TMX crude since the war on Iran.

Canadian oil accounts for nearly 60% of US crude imports. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated he does not intend to use Canada's oil as leverage in talks with Washington, despite the US regime's announcement of new tariffs on Canadian products last week.

Source: www.aljazeera.com