Iranian Oil Tankers Defy US Blockade, Cross Strait of Hormuz
Four Iranian-flagged oil tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, carrying a total of seven million barrels of oil, according to maritime tracking firm Kpler. This marks the first time since April 15 that Iranian oil tankers have crossed the strait despite the US blockade.
The four tankers, Hilda I, Amber, Silvia 1, and Happiness I, loaded their cargo in mid-April on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil terminal, which normally transits 90 percent of the country’s crude oil. The ships then crossed the Strait of Hormuz with their AIS transponders turned off.
Kpler relies primarily on satellite imagery to track ships transporting raw materials. The firm detected the passage of the four tankers, which typically transport Iranian crude to an offshore area off the coasts of Malaysia and Singapore, where they transfer the cargo at sea to other tankers tasked with delivering it to the final customer, often in China.
Tehran adopted this practice to circumvent international sanctions. The four tankers had initially continued their operations despite the conflict with Israel and the United States but had paused operations since April 13, when Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
US Military Announces Actions Against Oil Tankers
The US military regularly announces actions against oil tankers attempting to violate the blockade. On Tuesday, the US announced that it had disabled an oil tanker by firing on its engine room to prevent it from reaching Kharg Island. This was the sixth vessel damaged by US military forces as part of the blockade.
Despite the US efforts to enforce the blockade, Iranian oil tankers continue to defy the restrictions and transport crude oil to international markets. The recent passage of four tankers through the Strait of Hormuz highlights the ongoing challenge faced by the US in enforcing its sanctions against Iran.
Original Article: Four ships carrying Iranian oil leave Gulf despite US blockade — Newarab