Iran, US claims conflict over Hormuz as 3 Indian crude tankers emerge
Three fully laden India-linked supertankers have re-emerged in the Gulf of Oman, adding to increased reports of traffic moving both ways across the northern and southern routes of the Strait of Hormuz, while conflicting narratives over the status of transits persist. The Desh Vibhor, Desh Vaibhav an
By Bloomberg
Three fully laden India-linked supertankers have re-emerged in the Gulf of Oman, adding to increased reports of traffic moving both ways across the northern and southern routes of the Strait of Hormuz, while conflicting narratives over the status of transits persist.
The Desh Vibhor, Desh Vaibhav and Sanmar Herald were observed in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea on Sunday, after having been last seen signalling their attempt to cross the Strait of Hormuz late on Friday, according to ship-tracking data.
The supertankers, each signalling Indian ownership or India-bound cargo, carry nearly 6 million barrels of Iraqi and Kuwaiti oil. It could not be immediately determined the routes that these tankers took, but their attempts to sail towards the Iranian island of Qeshm suggest they may have taken a route approved by Tehran.
Shipping Corporation of India, which is listed as the owner and manager of Desh Vibhor and Desh Vaibhav, on database Equasis, did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment outside regular business hours. Neither did Sanmar Shipping Ltd., the operator of Sanmar Herald.
The India-linked very large crude carriers’ journeys are part of a growing tally of tankers that also embarked on crossings either way through the energy chokepoint. The transits come amid competing narratives from Iran and the US even as the two sides are set to begin peace deal negotiations on Sunday.
Iran proclaimed the strait shut on Saturday, that it was doing so because Israel’s continued attacks in southern Lebanon had violated a ceasefire deal. The US Central Command pushed back against the claim on Saturday, saying traffic had increased with 55 merchant ships crossing the strait – delivering nearly 17 million barrels of oil to global markets.
Some tankers were still seen approaching Hormuz late on Saturday. Three fully laden crude supertankers were seen sailing, entering the strait on the Omani side, before they stopped signalling. One is delivering 2 million barrels of Saudi crude to Japan, while the other is lifting 2 million barrels of Qatari crude, with no clear destination. The two ships followed the same route as another carrying a shipment from the United Arab Emirates hours earlier.
In the reverse direction, but also along the Omani coast, three empty tankers openly signalled their locations in the strait, sailing into the Persian Gulf, data showed. One was a very large gas carrier that had travelled from Duqm on the Gulf of Oman, before turning off its transponders after last signalling that it was in the Persian Gulf late on Saturday.
The other two were crude supertankers that most recently delivered UAE crude. One of the tankers openly signalled its location in one of the anchorages in the Gulf of Oman a few days ago. Some Gulf producers are known to dispatch tankers “dark” through Hormuz so that the cargoes can be transferred onto fresh vessels waiting in those waters without drawing attention to these shipments.
Liquefied natural gas carriers were also observed sailing into the Persian Gulf, with ship-tracking data suggesting they had done so late on Friday.
The tankers’ movements along the Omani coast come as a key naval information-sharing group said on Saturday that vessels can consider travelling along the southern route with their signals on.
“Mariners are advised that they may transit the southern route day or night with their AIS on, radars radiating, running lights on, and normal use of VHF,” the Joint Military Information Center said, referring to the automated identification system from transponders, and very high frequency radio communications.
That contrasted with the American advisory made a few days earlier that vessels should consider sailing along that route without broadcasting their transponder signals. JMIC’s advice also followed an alert by Pakistan late on Friday that there was a confirmed mine spotted along the southern route. Pakistan has responsibility for coordinating navigational warnings in the area.