The Solaris liquefied natural gas tanker sails near the Himeji LNG terminal in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 22. | Bloomberg

Japan is diversifying shipping routes for crude oil from the Middle East as the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues.

Some tankers were confirmed to be heading for Japan, avoiding navigation through the strait. Japan is also trying to diversify oil procurement sources, looking at the United States and Russia, as the Middle East situation remains unstable.

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, 15 tankers from the Middle East and North Africa were heading for Japan, according to University of Tokyo professor Hidenori Watanabe, who analyzed data including from ship-location information website Marine Traffic.

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