Iranian Supertanker Manage to Slip Past U.S. Blockade

(MENAFN) A National Iranian Tanker Company supertanker laden with nearly $220 million worth of crude oil has successfully evaded the US naval blockade, slipping through to the Far East undetected, maritime tracking firm TankerTrackers revealed Sunday.

"A National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertanker carrying over 1.9 million barrels (valued at nearly $220 million dollars) of crude oil has managed to evade the U.S. Navy and reach the Far East," TankerTrackers wrote on US social media platform X.

The vessel — designated "HUGE" (9357183) — was last publicly spotted in waters off Sri Lanka over a week ago and has since been tracked navigating the Lombok Strait in Indonesia, charting a course toward the Riau Archipelago.

Adding to the intrigue surrounding the tanker's movements, maritime records indicate the ship went completely dark on Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking signals as far back as March 20 — the same day it departed the Strait of Malacca on a course originally bound for Iran — and has maintained radio silence ever since.

The vessel's successful transit represents a significant breach of Washington's naval containment efforts and comes amid intensifying diplomatic tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran's recently submitted 30-day framework proposal for a broader deal encompassing maritime access and a permanent regional ceasefire.

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