TankerTrackers, a firm specializing in tracking crude oil shipments, announced that 49 tankers associated with Iran are currently located within a zone considered to be under the direct monitoring and surveillance of United States naval forces. According to the firm, this indicates an intensification of pressure on Iran’s oil transport network.
Based on the company’s report, which was published alongside satellite imagery and maritime data, the U.S. Navy has tracked a number of sanctioned tankers near the eastern coast of Oman. In the latest instance, it pursued the Aframax tanker “Levin” (IMO: 9293155) after it altered its course toward the Arabian Sea. The tanker was unladen at the time of observation, but according to the report, it is regularly used to transport Iranian oil.
TankerTrackers also stated that the vessel had previously been placed on the U.S. sanctions list in February as part of Iran’s “shadow fleet,” which is used to circumvent oil restrictions.
The report further notes that despite the heightened surveillance, certain Iran-linked tankers that are not yet included on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s sanctions list remain active within this operational zone.
Concurrently, some media reports allege that pressure on Iran’s oil export routes has surged, forcing a portion of the oil to be stored in aging tankers or moved via indirect routes by disabling tracking systems - claims that have emerged against the backdrop of recent global energy tensions.
