Iranian ‘ghost fleet’ filmed evading US blockade en route to China, UANI says
Small Iranian tankers are slipping past the US naval blockade and smuggling sanctioned liquefied petroleum gas to China through a Malaysian maritime hub, according to investigators who filmed one vessel en route.
United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which conducted a months-long probe, said at least nine similar tankers carrying Iranian oil or LPG have evaded US restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz since Washington reinstated the Iranian port blockade in July. The organization identified one sanctioned tanker as the SOGL, which allegedly escaped the blockade on Sept. 1 carrying approximately 500,000 barrels of Iranian LPG after collecting it at an Iranian port in August.
The vessel then traveled thousands of miles to a Malaysian offshore anchorage, where UANI filmed it receiving fuel and other services offshore before continuing to China to discharge its Iranian cargo.
Malaysian hub
At the center of the operation is the Malaysian Eastern Outer Port Limits Anchorage, known as the EOPL, an offshore shipping area approximately 70 kilometers from Malaysia's coastline. The anchorage has become a critical staging ground for Iran's sanctioned energy trade with China.
The area allows vessels to wait offshore, receive supplies and transfer cargo between tankers, providing a logistical lifeline for Iranian energy exports as American naval forces patrol waters closer to Iran.
Blockade effectiveness
The US maritime blockade was first imposed April 13, temporarily lifted in mid-June and reinstated July 14 after diplomatic negotiations collapsed. While the operation has largely stopped Iran from exporting crude oil, small tankers continue to slip through.
The United States is primarily prioritizing Iranian crude and very large tankers, which often carry two million barrels of Iranian crude. Since the blockade's reinstatement, no Iranian crude oil has successfully departed as an export, creating significant economic pressure on the Iranian regime.
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