Oil Continues to Flow Through Hormuz as Tankers Cross Stealthily

SadaNews - Oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with their signals turned off, are helping to maintain oil flows this month at stronger levels than earlier in the Middle East conflict, as shipping companies await the signing of a peace agreement between the United States and Iran this week.

At least four ships carrying non-Iranian crude oil left the Arabian Gulf between Sunday and Monday after disabling their tracking devices. Bloomberg's calculations, based on "Kpler" and "Vortexa" data, indicate that the average expected outgoing oil flows over the past seven days have exceeded two million barrels per day so far this month.

Iran's Exports Accelerate

Iran's own exports also appeared to be accelerating ahead of the anticipated agreement, which is expected to reopen Iranian oil trade with the end of the U.S. blockade. Three fully-loaded tankers with about 5 million barrels of crude are reported to have crossed the U.S. maritime boundary and are en route to Asia.

Because ships can move without sending their location until they are far enough from the Strait of Hormuz, automated location signals have been collected over a wide area, including the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea, to monitor ships that may have left or entered the Arabian Gulf.

When identifying potential crossings, the signal history is examined to determine whether the movement appears to be genuine or a result of spoofing - as electronic interference can change the apparent location of the vessel.

Some crossings may not be detected if the ships' tracking devices are not turned back on. Tankers linked to Iran often sail from the Arabian Gulf without broadcasting signals until they reach the Malacca Strait about ten days after passing Fujairah in the UAE. Other ships may follow similar methods and will not appear on tracking screens for several days.