Iranian Tankers Stranded at Sea Amid US Blockade
It is a challenging time for the crews of Iranian-owned tankers. They are mostly stuck at sea, unable to return to ports in Iran because of the US naval blockade. On Tuesday, the U.S. also reported attacks on two Iranian tankers believed to have been anchored near the port of Bandar Abbas.
The situation has led to a large fleet of empty tankers, which, having discharged their cargos – mostly in China – are now stranded at sea with nowhere to go. The US naval blockade has been operated as a bar on ships of any flag seeking to load or discharge at Iranian ports, enforced from the Gulf of Oman on the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM Reports Naval Blockade Enforcement
As of September 1, CENTCOM reports its forces have redirected 84 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two to ensure compliance. However, there must be some nervousness within the Iranian tanker fleet that US naval action could expand to include the seizure of Iranian vessels elsewhere, as the blockade notification already covers. There previously were long-range actions on ships that have escaped the blockade.
Tankers Gather Off Sri Lanka and Malaysia
The fraught situation is evident in a cluster of Iranian tankers which has gathered in the Galle Anchorage off the south-west corner of Sri Lanka. The Financial Times estimated that “more than a dozen” of these ships are at anchor just meters outside Sri Lankan territorial waters, within which the seizure of a ship would be a breach of UNCLOS. Sri Lankan port authorities say that the ships are outside their territorial waters, and not therefore under their jurisdiction.
Satellite Imagery Reveals Large Number of Sanctioned Tankers
Satellite imagery shows a large number of tankers at anchor on the territorial waters boundary, and interrogation of the VesselFinder database shows that many of these tankers (indicated by an orange dot) are vessels which are sanctioned by the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Tankers Linked to Trading in Iranian Crude Anchor Off Malaysia
The Financial Times, quoting the NGO UANI (United Against Nuclear Iran), has also identified a further 48 tankers linked to trading in Iranian crude, which are anchored in the long-established ship-to-ship transfer box east of Johore and just outside the Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone. There appear to be significantly more tankers at anchor in this area currently, and in a bigger box than when The Maritime Executive last looked in June last year.
Kpler Estimates Iranian Oil Stocks Have Declined
Kpler currently estimates that Iranian oil stocks held afloat appear to have declined from 192 million barrels in mid-April to about 80 million barrels at the end of August. Most of this stock, however, is already pre-sold and is waiting off Chinese ports for unloading. Where data from Iranian-associated tankers is available on VesselFinder, draught in the water readings suggest that almost all of those off Sri Lanka and most off Malaysia are unladen.
Original Article: Iranian Tankers Wait at Sea Off Sri Lanka and Malaysia Due to U.S. Blockade — The Maritime Executive