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Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Oil Tankers News

05 Aug 2026

Houthis Claim Missile Attack on Saudi Oil Tanker in Red Sea

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Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Wednesday they had launched a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of the kingdom's Red Sea port city of Yanbu.Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Houthis' military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, did not say when the attack took place.(Reuters - Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

03 Aug 2026

Saudi Oil Tankers Cross Red Sea as Hormuz Traffic Slows

© Parilov / Adobe Stock

Two tankers laden with Saudi oil crossed the Bab el-Mandeb strait over the weekend, while traffic in the Strait of Hormuz slowed following reports of vessel attacks, shipping data showed on Monday.The number of commodity vessels that passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait fell to 18 on Sunday, from 27 on Saturday and 28 on Friday, the Kpler data showed.The Iran-aligned Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi ‌Arabia on July 20, opening a new front against the U.S. and…

26 Jul 2026

Red Sea Shipping Slows After Houthi Attack on Saudi Arabia

© dechevm / Adobe Stock

Ship traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell on Sunday after Yemeni Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while transit through the Strait of Hormuz stayed low over the weekend, shipping data from Kpler showed on Monday.Eleven commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sunday, the lowest level in months, the data showed.Red Sea traffic has been disrupted off the coast of Yemen since last week by the Tehran-aligned Houthis, who want to blockade Saudi exports…

24 Jul 2026

Chinese Supertankers Exit Red Sea With Saudi Oil

© Parilov / Adobe Stock

Two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil exited the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, shipping data showed, apparently escaping a blockade on shipments of Saudi oil by Yemen's Houthi militias even as other Saudi vessels came under attack.The Red Sea blockade by the Iran-aligned Houthis is worsening global energy supply disruption, coming at the same time the key Strait of Hormuz has practically shut due to the resumption of fighting between the U.S.

23 Jul 2026

Chinese Supertankers Exiting Red Sea Amid Houthi Threats

© Osobenkovs / Adobe Stock

Two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil are exiting the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, shipping data showed, even as a Saudi vessel came under attack in the region.The ships' attempt to transit the strait will clearly test how tightly the Houthis will impose the naval blockade on Saudi Arabia they announced on Monday. The group said they attacked two Saudi tankers with drones and missiles earlier on Thursday.The Red…

23 Jul 2026

Houthis Claim Attack on Saudi Tankers in Red Sea

© mino21 / Adobe Stock

The Iranian-aligned Houthis said on Thursday they struck two Saudi oil tankers as part of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, threatening to create a second chokepoint on global oil supplies alongside Iran's near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.Meanwhile the U.S. military completed a new round of strikes on Iran at President Donald Trump's direction, marking a 12th successive night of American attacks and prompting further Iranian retaliation.Iran said it attacked U.S. missile systems, weapons and fuel storages in Jordan, as well as U.S.

20 Jul 2026

Iran Claims Two Oil Tankers Exploded in Strait of Hormuz

© Parilov / Adobe Stock

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday that two oil tankers had exploded and been immobilised after attempting to transit what it described as an unsafe southern route through the Strait of Hormuz, alleging they had been encouraged by the U.S. military to use the passage.Reuters could not immediately verify the incident. The statement gave no details on the vessels' names, flags, crews or any casualties.The Guards said the waterway would remain unsafe as long as what it called U.S.

20 Jul 2026

Projectile Strike Sets Dynacom Tanker Ablaze Near Oman

Illustration © ImageBank4U / Adobe Stock

Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers said two of its managed vessels were hit by projectiles of unknown origin on Monday while sailing off the coast of Oman.The re-escalation in fighting between the U.S. and Iran is again threatening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian forces target vessels and the U.S. moves to enforce its blockade of the country's ports.Dynacom said Kavomaleas — a Malta-flagged Panamax-sized tanker — was struck by two projectiles, causing a fire in its engine room and forcing its evacuation."After deploying the shipboard fire suppression system…

14 Jul 2026

Iranian Missiles Hit Two UAE Oil Tankers, One Person Dead

© Parilov / Adobe Stock

One Indian crew member was killed and eight others were wounded when two Emirati oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday, in the latest escalation in the strategic waterway.Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's shipping arm ADNOC L&S later confirmed the very large crude carriers (VLCCs) Mombasa B and Al Bahiyah were struck while transiting Hormuz and had sustained "significant damage".UAE state oil giant ADNOC has been among the most active participants in a U.S.

08 Jul 2026

Island Oil Expands Fleet with Two Tankers

Island Horizon (Credit: Island Oil)

Island Oil has acquired two oil tankers, Island Polaris and Island Horizon, expanding its owned fleet and marine logistics capacity.The acquisitions form part of the company's long-term investment strategy to strengthen logistics capabilities and support demand for marine fuel transportation across the Mediterranean and Black Sea.The two vessels are double-hull tankers and will increase Island Oil's transportation capacity while supporting service reliability across its network…

06 Jul 2026

Ten Japan-Linked Vessels Exit Hormuz After Iran War Disruption

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A fleet of 10 Japan-linked vessels was exiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday while a supertanker carrying Saudi crude for South Korea left over the weekend, shipping data on LSEG showed, after the ships were stranded in the Gulf for months because of the Iran war.The Japan-linked ships include six very large crude carriers loaded with 12 million barrels of Middle Eastern crude, two chemical tankers, a vehicle carrier and a container ship, the data showed. The tankers are carrying crudes from Saudi Arabia…

23 Jun 2026

Petrobras Orders Four New Tankers in $427M Fleet Renewal Push

(Credit: Petrobras Transporte (Transpetro) via LinkedIn)

Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras has signed a $427 million contract through its logistics subsidiary Petrobras Transporte (Transpetro) with the Rio Grande Shipyard for the construction of four medium range tankers as part of a broader program to renew and expand its shipping fleet.The four MR1-class vessels, each with a deadweight tonnage of 40,000 tonnes, will be used to transport crude oil and petroleum products along Brazil's coast, Petrobras said.The order forms part of the Mar Aberto (Open Sea) Program…

17 Jun 2026

Iranian Oil Tankers Resume Shipments After US-Iran Deal

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

At least three tankers carrying Iranian oil have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade this week, with a fourth, an empty vessel, heading towards the Gulf of Oman, after the U.S. and Iran agreed a framework deal to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed.The shipments indicate a gradual resumption of Iranian oil exports that are expected to add to global supplies although demand from China, its biggest buyer, has been lacklustre due to poor domestic margins.Very Large Crude Carriers Hero II and Diona…

16 Jun 2026

The U.S. is Using Iranian Oil Smuggling Tactics

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The United States military has overseen scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters in an operation to guide convoys to awaiting tankers.The operation on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz employs a shuttling technique long used by Iran to skirt sanctions.Two specific locations where the oil transfers take place were identified by 11 people familiar with the operation – one off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and the other off Oman’s port of Sohar.It started in early May…

01 Jun 2026

French Navy Boards Suspected Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker in Atlantic

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France's navy has intercepted a sanctioned tanker linked to the Russian oil trade in the Atlantic Ocean and ordered the vessel to head for the French mainland, in a move Russia said was illegal and bordered on "international piracy".French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday posted a video on X showing commandos rappelling from helicopters onto the Tagor, during an operation that occurred the previous day in international waters 400 miles (740 km) west of Brittany.The tanker, which had sailed from Russia's Arctic port of Murmansk…

28 May 2026

Three Oil and LNG Tankers Exit Hormuz with Trackers Switched Off

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

Two supertankers and one liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker exited the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week with their transponders switched off, and are heading for India and China, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.The vessels joined a number of tankers leaving the Gulf this month, although oil and LNG traffic overall has still been limited.The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Eagle Veracruz, carrying 2 million barrels of crude loaded from Saudi Arabia in late February, is heading to Quanzhou port in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian.

26 May 2026

MISC Reports First Quarter Increase in Revenue

Source: MISC

The MISC Group revenue of RM2,891.4 million ($729 million) was 2.7% higher than the revenue for the period ended March 31, 2025.The increase was mainly due to higher revenue from the company’s Petroleum and Product Shipping segment, primarily driven by higher freight rates and earning days, and higher revenue from Marine and Heavy Engineering segment, primarily from the ongoing projects advancing into higher construction phases partially offset by lower revenue from post sail-away projects.The increase in Group’s revenue was…

20 May 2026

Third VLCC Exits Strait of Hormuz

Source: Windward

Three supertankers were crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday carrying oil bound for Asian markets, after waiting in the Gulf for more than two months with 6 million barrels of Middle East crude on board, while another was entering, shipping data on LSEG and Kpler showed.The ships are among a handful of supertankers exiting the Gulf this month via a transit route that Iran has ordered ships to use.The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran which began on February 28 has severely curtailed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz…

06 May 2026

Sentinel Midstream to Begin Building Texas Deepwater Oil Export Port

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Oil transportation and storage company Sentinel Midstream said on Tuesday it would immediately begin construction of its deepwater oil export project off the Texas coast, marking the first development of a large-scale export project in the United States in years.Sentinel expects to begin commercial operations of the Texas GulfLink system by the fourth quarter of 2028, said Bruce Heine, the company's senior VP for public affairs, adding the company will begin excavation activities…

19 May 2026

CMB.Tech Profit Surges as Hormuz Disruption Boosts Tanker Rates

(Credit: CMB.Tech)

Belgian tanker company CMB.Tech said on Tuesday its core profit more than tripled in the first quarter, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz curtailed available shipping tonnage, driving a sharp spike in spot freight rates.Shares of the large, diversified maritime company with a fleet of about 250 ships rose more than 5% in early Brussels trading.

11 May 2026

US Sanctions Companies Involved in Iran's Oil Shipments to China

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The U.S. government on Monday announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran's shipment of oil to China. The ninth company is based in Oman.The U.S. Treasury move follows sanctions announced on Friday on individuals and companies aiding Iranian purchases of weapons and components used to make drones and ballistic missiles.It comes days before U.S. President Donald Trump's planned meeting with Xi Jinping…

14 May 2026

Japan Secures Second Oil Tanker Passage Through Strait of Hormuz

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A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker managed by Japanese refining group Eneos has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, ship-tracking data from LSEG showed on Thursday, the second instance of such a Japan-linked oil ship making it through.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has directly contacted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to allow for the transit of the ship, which has four Japanese crew members onboard, she said in a post on X.Before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran largely disrupted oil supplies via the Strait of Hormuz…

14 May 2026

Somali Piracy on the Rise

Honour 25 source EUNAVFOR

Palaemon Maritime’s maritime security report this week points to some of the clearest indicators yet that piracy activity off Somalia is escalating again.“Taken alone, these incidents might appear isolated. Taken together, they point to something more important: the conditions that enable piracy are building again in the Western Indian Ocean.”Most recently, Palaemon cites a possible hijacking of a dhow off the southern Somali coast, multiple suspicious approaches and aggressive small craft activity in the region…