Greek-owned Tankers Use Dark Crossings and Offshore Crude Transfers in Strait of Hormuz
Greek-owned tankers have been switching off tracking signals during US-escorted Hormuz crossings before transferring crude in the Gulf of Oman.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Greek-owned tankers are disappearing from commercial tracking screens while crossing the Strait of Hormuz at night under US military escort, before reappearing in the Gulf of Oman to transfer crude to waiting vessels.
The system has enabled Gulf producers to move more oil despite Iranian attacks and unsuccessful negotiations to restore normal navigation, widening the gap between visible vessel traffic and estimated oil flows.
Tracking Gaps and Tanker Transfers
The Greek-owned very large crude carrier Kiku loaded crude at Qatar’s Mesaieed terminal in late July and sailed towards Hormuz. Its Automatic Identification System, or AIS, stopped transmitting near Dubai on July 31. The vessel’s signal returned the following morning off Fujairah, on the other side of the strait, where it anchored alongside the Greek-owned tanker Nave Electron for a ship-to-ship transfer.
The vessels remained together for about a week. Nave Electron subsequently departed carrying crude towards Ningbo, China, while Kiku remained near Fujairah before switching off its signal again on August 14. It reappeared inside the Persian Gulf the following day, travelling back towards Qatar.
Similar Routes Identified
Nissos Kythnos followed a similar pattern. Satellite imagery showed the Greek-owned tanker alongside Front Otra in the Gulf of Oman after a crossing without an active signal. Front Otra was later detected heading towards Taiwan, while Nissos Kythnos returned to the Gulf.
More than a dozen comparable transfers were identified over two days. Receiving tankers later travelled towards China, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.
Oil Flows Exceed Visible Traffic
Such voyages are no longer exceptional. About 80 per cent of Hormuz traffic over the past two weeks travelled without an active AIS signal, according to Kpler, compared with 62 per cent in earlier tanker data. US energy officials estimate that 8 million to 9 million barrels of oil per day are crossing the strait, about twice the volume captured by conventional ship-tracking data.
Latest traffic figures recorded 17 commodity vessels crossing during the weekend, including 13 on Saturday and four on Sunday. AIS-detected activity remained about 90 per cent below pre-conflict levels.
Original Article: Greek-owned tankers use dark crossings and offshore crude transfers in Strait of Hormuz – Cyprus Inform — Kiprinform