The vessels departed the strategic waterway on Wednesday, after being stranded inside the Persian Gulf for over two months, lending hope to an end to the closure of the strait.

At least 19 oil- and liquefied petroleum gas-carrying ships without Iranian links have both entered and exited Hormuz since March 1.

Heavily laden vessels bound for Chinese ports navigated the tense maritime chokepoint, as Tehran rolled out a new military-backed authority to manage the waterway