Oil Tanker News

Six Saudi-flagged supertankers have changed course in the Gulf of Aden in recent days and are heading to southern Africa following threats by Yemen’s Houthi movement to target Saudi shipping, tracking data showed on Monday.The tankers, which were empty of cargo after returning from destinations in Asia, were sailing in formation towards southern Africa, rather than opting to transit the southern Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, according to AIS ship-tracking on LSEG and MarineTraffic.One of the tankers…

A sanctions-hit tanker is leaking oil off the coast of Oman and the spill has spread in recent days, increasing concern about possible environmental damage to coastal areas, according to an analysis of satellite imagery and shipping specialists.The Caroline Bezengi took Russian oil on board at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk before leaving for its most recent voyage, ship tracking data shows.It first reported difficulties on June 8 off the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, two maritime security sources ⁠said…

A drone strike that damaged two gas tankers in Egyptian waters has renewed energy security concerns about the nearby Suez Canal and a related pipeline, a vital export route for Saudi Arabian oil since the beginning of the Iran war.Even as Iran and its Houthi allies have fired on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, Egypt's Suez Canal and Sumed pipeline continued to offer safe, northbound export routes for Saudi Red Sea energy cargoes.While no party has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack on the tankers at Egypt's port of Damietta…

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they targeted a number of sensitive crude oil supply and transport sites linking eastern Saudi Arabia to the critical Red Sea oil export hub of Yanbu.Saudi state oil giant Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the operation was in response to what he described as Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.Saudi Arabia has re-routed its crude output to Yanbu via its east-west pipeline to get around Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which began after the U.S.

Drones have attacked another two oil tankers approaching the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's terminal on Russia's shores of the Black Sea, further clouding prospects for oil exports from Kazakhstan, which uses the outlet, three industry sources said on Thursday.The closure of the terminal, which accounts for more than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports, earlier this week over safety concerns forced the country to cut its oil production, authorities said.The sources said the HERA and ALATAU tankers should have received oil from the CPC.

Four tankers changed course in the Red Sea on Wednesday, with two signalling the Suez Canal as their new destination after Yemen's Houthi militia warned ships to avoid sailing to Saudi Arabian ports, ship-tracking data showed.The Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front against the United States in its war with Iran and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf."The threat of Houthi hostile actions against Saudi Arabia ...

Fairfield Maritime Japan Ltd. (FMJ) signed a long-term charter contract with Neste enabling FMJ to fund and manage the construction of two Ice Class 1A medium range (MR) oil and chemical tankers for Neste's transports to and from its refinery in Porvoo, Finland. The two new ships will each have the capacity to ship 50,000 deadweight tons (DWT) and will be built by HD Hyundai Co., Ltd. of South Korea and delivered in the first and second quarters of 2029.As Ice Class 1A certified ships…

Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after threats from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, as a widening Middle East conflict disrupted shipping through two of the world's most critical energy chokepoints.The diversions came as U.S. forces bombed targets in the south and west of Iran overnight, Tehran targeted U.S. sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan and at least one tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the latest escalation of…

A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz reported being struck by an unknown projectile, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel and board a lifeboat, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.UKMTO said it had received multiple reports on Tuesday that a tanker had broadcast over VHF Channel 16 that it had been hit by an unknown projectile. The incident was reported eight nautical miles east of Oman's Limah and authorities were investigating.UKMTO said…

An oil tanker chartered for loading oil at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal off Russia's Black Sea coast was attacked and damaged by two drones on Friday, CPC said.Sources told Reuters the vessel, the Suezmax-class Nordic Zenith, had been chartered by ExxonMobil.CPC did not identify any party as responsible for the incident. The past week has seen a sharp escalation in attacks by both Russia and Ukraine on shipping in the Black and Azov seas, marking a new phase in a war…

A tanker has reported being approached by six small boats 50 nautical miles (93 km) south of Yemen's Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported on Monday, adding warning shots were fired by the tanker.The British maritime security firm Ambrey later said that Automatic Identification System data indicated the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker initiated evasive maneuvers after the skiffs approached on its starboard side.Ambrey reported that one skiff came very close to the tanker before its armed security team fired warning shots.

Chevron-chartered oil tanker Yasa Polaris, used for Caspian Pipeline Consortium shipments, was hit by a drone off Russia's Black Sea coast, the vessel's managing company said on Wednesday, as Kyiv steps up attacks on Russian energy targets.Ukrainian drones have attacked a dozen tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet" that were delivering fuel to Russian-annexed Crimea in recent days, according to the Ukrainian military.There was no official comment from Ukrainian authorities about the incident involving the Chevron-chartered tanker.Yasa Tanker…

France's navy seized another tanker it said was linked to Russia's "shadow fleet" on Thursday, underscoring the escalation this year in European efforts to enforce sanctions and squeeze one of Moscow’s main revenue streams.Nine suspected shadow fleet tankers, vessels shipping oil and gas to skirt Western sanctions, have now been seized across Europe since the start of 2026, including four by France. Britain seized an oil tanker in the English Channel on June 14.Another three suspected shadow fleet tankers have been inspected as part of a European naval mission in the Mediterranean…

Oil tanker operators are reaping record profits after nearly doubling the hire cost of vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz and wider Gulf region this week on rising demand as traffic through the waterway slowly picks up, according to shipping data and sources.Traffic through the vital strait has been modest since Iran lifted its effective blockade last week after agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire with the U.S., as talks on a permanent deal to end their war continue.The number of ships going through Hormuz is a fraction of the daily average of 125 before the conflict began on February 28.

Three stranded supertankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, while seven empty Qatar-linked liquefied natural gas tankers have entered in recent weeks in an early sign Gulf gas shipping may be resuming, ship-tracking data showed.Iranian-linked tankers also continued to transit the vital waterway, according to the data, with traffic picking up on Monday as U.S.-Iran talks progressed.The first round of talks, which began on Sunday, concluded a day later with both sides agreeing on a roadmap toward a permanent deal within 60 days. The U.S.

The captain of a Russian shadow fleet vessel intercepted by British commandos was charged with contravening sanctions, Britain's National Crime Agency said on Monday.Ajay Pant, an Indian national, was charged with "directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil/oil products from Russia to a third country...," the agency said.Pant is set to appear at the Southampton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, the agency added.British commandos on Sunday boarded and intercepted Smyrtos, a sanctioned Russian oil tanker sailing under a Cameroonian flag, in the English Channel.

A U.S. jet fired two missiles into the engine room of the tanker Jalveer off Oman on Thursday, U.S. Central Command confirmed, as authorities said the 20 crew members were safe after the third strike on Indian-crewed tankers this week.Three Indian sailors died in a U.S. strike on the Settebello tanker off Oman a day earlier."A U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces," Centcom said in a statement.It said U.S.

The U.S. military carried out a "precision" strike on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman that failed to follow its instructions and was carrying oil from Iran, it said, while India said three Indian seafarers were missing after the attack on the tanker.The U.S. began a blockade of Iran-related shipping on April 13 after Iran severely curtailed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil and gas route.The U.S. military's Central Command (Centcom) said a U.S. aircraft "fired…

"The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed for three months, trapping hundreds of ships and thousands of seafarers in the Persian Gulf while significantly reducing global seaborne tanker volumes,” says Niels Rasmusssen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.As it is unknown when ships can safely return to the strait, we present two outlook scenarios. One, “SoH open”, assumes that the strait is fully reopened before the end of the second quarter while the other, “SoH closed” assumes that the strait remains effectively closed throughout 2026 and 2027Since the beginning of the Iran war…

Venezuela's oil exports rose slightly to 1.25 million barrels per day in May, its third consecutive month of increase, fueled by more cargoes to the U.S., India and Europe, shipping data showed on Monday.Under the U.S.-supported government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelan crude production and exports have bounced this year as Washington eased sanctions and foreign companies expanded oil and gas projects in the OPEC nation.The oil ministry has forecast a crude output of 1.37 million bpd by year-end…

The U.S. military fired a Hellfire missile at a tanker heading toward Iran on Tuesday as part of a blockade being imposed by President Donald Trump, who is pressing Tehran to negotiate a peace agreement on his terms.The U.S. military's Central Command posted a video showing the missile strike the tanker and said it targeted the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie's engine room, disabling it."The ship's crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period," Central Command said in a statement."A U.S.

A cargo of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve headed to California this month for the first time ever, ship tracking service Kpler said.The unusual movement highlights the redrawing of trade flows and shipping routes as the Iran war has cut off supplies of Middle Eastern crude. California, once a top oil-producing state in the U.S., has in recent years become more dependent on crude imports, including about 230,000 barrels per day last year from the Middle East. Availability of alternative crude oil is also limited due to competing demand from Asia.About 460…

An oil cargo delivered to the Philippines that Kpler had said last month originated from Iran was actually from Russia, the shiptracking firm said this week.Kpler data that had showed the Suezmax tanker Ocean Start delivered Iranian oil crude to Petron's Bataan refinery on May 17 was revised to show the tanker delivered Urals crude from Russia, Kpler told Reuters on Monday.The revision was due to a review of further information on the voyage, Kpler said.Kpler's revised data showed…