Iran tankers laden with crude go dark to sail past US blockade

At least two fully laden Iranian tankers have sailed out of the Persian Gulf and past a US blockade this week, part of a flotilla that has made its way around the warships and ferried roughly 9 million barrels of oil to the market.

The Hero II and Hedy, two Iran-flagged, very-large crude carriers, were captured in satellite imagery moving past the blockade line announced by the US and into the Arabian Sea on April 20, according to data intelligence firm Vortexa. The two can carry as much as 4 million barrels of oil.

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Frustrated with Iran’s continued control of the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran’s ability to continue shipping its crude, President Donald Trump announced a blockade last week — interdicting Iran-linked vessels entering or leaving the Persian Gulf. A cargo vessel was seized at the weekend, and the US government said on Tuesday that it had boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in waters east of Sri Lanka.

Figures from Vortexa, however, suggest that Iran is still able to export its oil, with at least 34 Iran-linked tankers and gas carriers making their way through the strait and past the warships. Of those, 19 have been heading out of the Persian Gulf, and most were carrying cargo.

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Vortexa detected the shipments using satellite imagery, as vessels seeking to circumvent US forces are typically turning off their transponders. Hero II was last seen more than a month ago when it was sailing northward in the Strait of Malacca, while Hedy last broadcast its location off Khor Fakkan in late February.

The ultimate destination of the two shipments was not clear. The vast majority of Iran’s crude exports end up in China, though India received two shipments of Iranian crude in recent weeks before a US sanctions waiver expired.