Iranian oil tanker may have evaded US blockade<\/p>\n
One Iranian oil tanker may have slipped through a US blockade of Persian Gulf shipping, according to TankerTrackers.com, a firm that monitors vessel movements using satellite imagery.<\/p>\n
The very large crude carrier Huge, sailing under Iran\u2019s flag, signaled on Sunday that it was off Bali\u2019s coast. The vessel had not appeared on digital ship-tracking systems for months. Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, said satellite imagery confirmed the vessel\u2019s location near Bali. He added that the ship was at an Iranian port hours before the US blockade began on April 13.<\/p>\n
The US is preventing ships carrying Iranian oil from leaving the Gulf of Oman. American forces have redirected 50 vessels since the blockade started on April 13, according to US Central Command on Monday.<\/p>\n
More Iranian vessels have clustered in waters near Chabahar in recent days. The port city sits near the Pakistan border, just shy of the US blockade line. The US Navy previously stated that interdicted Iranian tankers were redirected to idle near Chabahar.<\/p>\n
Madani said his analysis indicates the Huge likely evaded the blockade but is the only vessel he has observed doing so. He saw an image of the ship on the morning of April 13 at Chabahar. The blockade began that afternoon.<\/p>\n
The US this week started an operation to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz following a flareup in hostilities on Monday amid the US-Iran standoff.<\/p>\n
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