Oil-tracking group TankerTrackers reports that two oil tankers carrying approximately 3.8 million barrels departed Iran on Monday, what appears to be Iran's first crude exports in two months. Additionally, a tanker that had been waiting off Pakistan in recent weeks advanced toward the blockade line and is preparing to reach Iran, according to the group, as cited by journalist Asaf Rozentzweig (N12).
Oil-tracking group TankerTrackers reported Wednesday that two tankers carrying about 3.8 million barrels of oil departed Iran on Monday, in what appears to be the first Iranian crude exports in two months. The report, carried by N12's Asaf Rozentzweig citing TankerTrackers, also notes that a tanker that had been loitering off Pakistan in recent weeks has now moved toward the blockade line and is preparing to reach Iran.
As The Zioneer reported Tuesday evening, Iranian state-aligned media had earlier claimed three tankers and two cargo ships were en route to Iran, suggesting the U.S. naval blockade may be eroding. That report followed a series of developments: earlier this month, OPEC data showed Iran's oil production had fallen 19% in the past month, and a single source reported a steep 84% drop in May exports. The U.S. has described its naval blockade as effective, while TankerTrackers has previously documented sanction-busting vessels evading the blockade by disabling their AIS transponders.
The new TankerTrackers report suggests a two-way flow may be resuming — tankers both departing Iran (exports) and approaching it (imports or storage). The figures are from a single monitoring group and have not been independently corroborated.
2 developments
- DevelopingAbu Saleh's Arab Desk: 12 Iranian oil tankers en route to China, two more loading
- DevelopingAbu Saleh's Arabic Desk: Ten more US refueling tankers en route to Middle East
- DevelopingBloomberg: 11 tankers with 20 million barrels of Iranian oil depart Chabahar this week
- DevelopingAbu Saleh's Arab Desk: Volley of missiles heading toward Bahrain
Source and signal
- Open-source intake