Oil Tankers Idle Off Chabahar as US Blockade Tightens Iran Trade

The report notes that Iran seems to be bringing older vessels back into service to load crude.

The United States has been increasing pressure by boarding tankers in the Indian Ocean and sanctioning a major Chinese refiner it said was a purchaser of Iranian oil.

Vortexa Ltd estimates roughly 155 million barrels of Iranian crude are either in transit or floating storage worldwide.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is described as near-zero, reflecting the impact of the blockades on crude shipments.

Satellite images and analyses indicate around six to eight supertankers idling in waters near Chabahar, with more smaller tankers nearby, in what the report describes as a late-week buildup.

A 30-year-old VLCC named Nasha began signaling from the Persian Gulf after last delivering a cargo three years ago; tracking data show it last broadcast its location four days earlier, heading toward Kharg Island.

The United States Navy said it redirected two very large crude carriers that it intercepted last week, in the area where the Chabahar tanker activity is occurring.