Iraqi crude tanker signals questioned as Hormuz transit remains unclear

(Bloomberg) – An oil supertanker hauling Iraqi crude whose signal appeared to show it had exited the Strait of Hormuz has not transited the waterway, its manager said. 

The Omega Trader, managed by Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, signaled over the past few days that it reached Mumbai, according to tanker tracking data. Its prior signal before reaching the Indian city had been from inside the Persian Gulf, more than ten days ago. 

MOL, which is listed by the Equasis database as a technical manager for the ship, said in a statement that none of its vessels had made the crossing, adding it was monitoring the situation on a 24-hour basis and continued to gather information.

Signal jamming has complicated information about vessels transiting in and around Hormuz, and the Omega Trader is no exception. While several ship-tracking data platforms placed the vessel in Mumbai as late as Sunday, other indicators have also raised questions about the identity of the ship. For example, the location in Mumbai is not an oil-importing terminal, and the speed last signaled is improbably swift for a very large crude carrier.

The war in Iran, now in its fourth week, has halted the vast majority of traffic in the waterway which accounts for about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, driving up energy costs. 

While only a few tankers have gone through since the conflict began, the transits help to alleviate what the International Energy Agency describes as the biggest supply disruption in the history of the oil market.

A number of the ships that have managed to get through Hormuz have discharged in India, where the government has engaged with Iranian officials to seek passage for vessels due to haul energy to the country.

Singapore-based MOL Global Ship Management is listed as the ship’s ISM manager on Equasis, a role that means the entity is likely involved in crewing, safety standards and maintenance. Depending on the commercial arrangement, ISM managers can also take on day-to-day operations. 

Its commercial manager, responsible for fixing its voyages, and its owner are both listed as Eligible Tankers SA based in Panama City. No contact details were immediately available for Eligible Tankers.

Other oil tankers have also made a break from the Persian Gulf in recent days. The Al Ruwais loaded naphtha from the UAE in early March and is now heading to Asia, while the Abu Dhabi-III is expected to arrive in India’s Vadinar port on Monday after also loading fuel at Ruwais. 

So-called dark crossings, with transponders off, make it difficult to track the exact number of tankers transiting through the strait.