A Reuters report has revealed that the US military has adopted ship-to-ship oil transfer methods, typically used by Iran to circumvent sanctions, to facilitate the movement of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which has become largely inaccessible to international shipping. Since early May, an estimated 90 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products have been transferred between at least 92 ships, utilizing two key locations off the coasts of the UAE and Oman, with vessels turning off transponders and dimming lights to avoid detection during the one to two-day transfer process, a tactic previously employed by Iran but on a significantly smaller scale.

A Reuters report has revealed that the US military has adopted ship-to-ship oil transfer methods, typically used by Iran to circumvent sanctions, to facilitate the movement of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which has become largely inaccessible to international shipping. Since early May, an estimated 90 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products have been transferred between at least 92 ships, utilizing two key locations off the coasts of the UAE and Oman, with vessels turning off transponders and dimming lights to avoid detection during the one to two-day transfer process, a tactic previously employed by Iran but on a significantly smaller scale.

A Reuters report has revealed that the US military has adopted ship-to-ship oil transfer methods, typically used by Iran to circumvent sanctions, to facilitate the movement of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which has become largely inaccessible to international shipping. Since early May, an estimated 90 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products have been transferred between at least 92 ships, utilizing two key locations off the coasts of the UAE and Oman, with vessels turning off transponders and dimming lights to avoid detection during the one to two-day transfer process, a tactic previously employed by Iran but on a significantly smaller scale.

For months, the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies, has been largely inaccessible to international shipping. However, a report by Reuters has revealed that the US military has been quietly orchestrating a workaround, mirroring methods long utilised by Iran to circumvent sanctions and move its own oil to evade global sanctions.

Since early May, US has been transferring oil from ship to ship with the protection of drones, a smuggling method usually executed by Iran. At least 92 ships have been involved in such transfers, reported Reuters, citing shipping data and satellite imagery. At least 90 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products might have been smuggled between May 2 and June 11, according to the report.

The report, citing 11 people familiar with the operation, revealed that the US military used two specific locations to transfer oil, including a spot off the coast of UAE's Fujairah and another off Sohar port in Oman. Data from June 11 showed 17 pairs of ships being involved in simultaneous oil transfers at the two locations.

The report claimed that an Apache helicopter shot down by Iran on June 9 was part of the operation, but the news agency could not confirm the role it played. At least six pairs of tankers were near Sohar port when the helicopter was downed.

How the oil smuggling worked?

The oil tankers arrive at a meeting point before heading to the Strait of Hormuz. They then depart in a staggered manner, keeping a distance of 3 to 4 km, says the report citing sources and satellite imagery. Sources also revealed that these vessels turn off their transponders and dim their lights.

While passing through a zone in the Strait that is not under Iranian control, these vessels anchor next to the the recepient ships to transfer oil. The recepient vessels are Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and the transfer takes a day or up to two days to complete. While the empty tankers turn back through the strait, the VLCCs sail ahead.

The news agency reports that Iran has been using the ship-to-ship transfers for years to evade sanctions by masking the source of the oil. However, the scale of smuggling on Iranian side was much smaller compared to the American tactics. Iranians apparently operated one pair of ships at a time in order to avoid detection.