According to Reuters, the latest ship tracking data shows that since last week, at least three crude oil tankers have sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz with their AIS signals turned off.
Data from Kpler and LSEG shows that two of these VLCCs — “Agios Fanourios I” and “Kiara M” — passed through the strait consecutively on Sunday, each carrying approximately 2 million barrels of Iraq’s Basrah crude oil.
The “Agios Fanourios I” is currently heading to Vietnam, scheduled to discharge at the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical plant on May 26. Notably, since loading Basrah Medium crude oil in Iraq on April 17, the vessel has attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz at least twice without success, reflecting the substantial impact of the current security situation in the strait on tanker transits.
Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, which manages the vessel, and Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical have not yet responded to market inquiries.
Another VLCC, “Kiara M,” also sailed out of the Gulf with its AIS signal turned off. The market has not yet confirmed its final discharge port.
Meanwhile, the VLCC “Basrah Energy” previously took similar action. Kpler data shows that the vessel loaded approximately 2 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude oil at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)’s Zirku terminal on May 1 and crossed the Strait of Hormuz on May 6.
Subsequently, the vessel completed discharge at the Fujairah oil terminal on May 8. The market has not yet confirmed the identity of the charterer behind the vessel. The “Basrah Energy” sails under the Panamanian flag and is owned and managed by South Korean shipping company Sinokor.
Market sources point out that as security risks in the Strait of Hormuz continue to escalate, more and more tankers are reducing the time their AIS signals are exposed, or even completely turning off AIS in certain sensitive waters, to lower the risk of being tracked or attacked.
At the same time, ADNOC and some Asian buyers have recently been accelerating the pace of crude oil shipments from the Gulf to avoid more cargoes being stranded in the Middle East.
