Two Iranian oil tankers carrying a combined 1 million barrels of crude changed their destination signals to Karachi as the United States intensified enforcement of its naval blockade.
The Rani and Amil updated their destination data on Tuesday, according to ship-tracking information compiled by Bloomberg. Both vessels had left the Persian Gulf before Washington restored the blockade.
Analysts said the tankers were unlikely to unload in Pakistan because receiving sanctioned Iranian crude could expose the country to US sanctions.
Pakistan has not imported Iranian crude oil for at least a decade, according to the energy data company Kpler.
The vessels may instead use waters near Karachi as a temporary holding area or conduct ship-to-ship cargo transfers, the report said.
Charlie Brown, an adviser to United Against Nuclear Iran, said the route could indicate that operators viewed waters near Pakistan as a comparatively secure place to await developments rather than discharge oil.
Read: Oil Prices Rise for Fourth Day After US Strikes Iran
Vortexa senior market analyst, Xavier Tang, said the tankers might also be sailing closer to Pakistan to avoid US naval vessels while using Karachi as a waypoint.
Both vessels are under US sanctions and form part of the tanker network used to transport Iranian oil, according to Bloomberg’s report.
The maritime database Equasis lists Panama-based Starboard Shipping Inc-Pan as the owner and manager of Rani. Malaysia-based Amelie Ltd owns the Amil, while Hong Kong-based Espoir Shipping Ltd manages it.
Waters off eastern Malaysia remain a major holding and transfer area for Iran-linked crude shipments bound for China. Many tankers leaving the Persian Gulf have instead declared Singapore as their next destination.
