Iranian Supertanker Evades US Blockade with $220 Million in Oil

An Iranian supertanker has successfully reached the Asia-Pacific region, bypassing a rigorous blockade maintained by the US Navy, according to the maritime tracking service TankerTrackers.com.

The vessel, named 'Huge', is owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). It is reportedly carrying approximately 1.9 million barrels of crude oil, valued at an estimated $220 million at current market rates.

In a post on the social media platform X, TankerTrackers reported that the ship was last spotted off the coast of Sri Lanka over a week ago. It is currently navigating through Indonesia’s Lombok Strait toward the Riau Islands.

Evading Detection
According to the tracking agency, the 'Huge' was within Iranian territorial waters on April 13, when the US Navy officially announced its blockade of Iranian ports.

To evade detection, the vessel had disabled its Automatic Identification System (AIS) shortly after departing the Strait of Malacca for Iran on March 20, making it significantly more difficult to track.

Conflicting Reports on Blockade Success
The incident highlights the ongoing maritime tension between the two nations:

Iran's Claim: On April 29, Iranian state media claimed that at least 52 of their vessels had successfully breached the US blockade.

US Military Stance: US officials maintain that the blockade is effective, stating they have forced at least 41 Iran-linked vessels to change course since the operation began.

US officials argue that the blockade has already cost Iran billions of dollars in lost revenue.

Washington asserts that by preventing oil exports, Iran will soon run out of storage capacity, eventually forcing a halt to domestic oil production.
Source: Al Jazeera