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A US-sanctioned tanker blacklisted for carrying Iran’s liquefied petroleum gas passed the Strait of Hormuz on Friday; it was one of the few ships that managed to pass through the waterway in recent days.
Danuta I, a supergas tanker sailing under the flag of Palau, passed through the strait in the early hours of Friday morning local time, according to ship tracking data. The ship had received a cargo from the Persian Gulf, as evidenced by the increase in draft.
As the massive gas carrier moved through the gulf and then through the strait, the signal pattern was inconsistent and at times random; This suggested that it was turning off its transponders or broadcasting false positioning signals to conceal its path. Signal jamming common in the region may also have contributed to this.
“The Strait of Hormuz is currently too risky for legitimate shipowners, commercially and in terms of crew safety, which explains why dozens of tankers are stuck in the Gulf and unable to get out,” said Charlie Brown, an advisor to United Against Nuclear Iran, a U.S. lobby and pressure group focused on Tehran.
“The dark fleet or sanctioned tankers may pass through at a calculated risk, possibly after communication with Iranian forces in the region,” he said.
The ship’s owner, Panama-based Ithaki Maritime and Trading, does not have a website, any online presence or any known means of contact by phone or email, according to checks by Bloomberg.
Traffic in the strait had come to an almost complete halt, the Bahrain-based Joint Maritime Information Center said in a note released early Friday, ahead of the Danuta I passage.
“Following Danuta I’s successful voyage, we may see other dark fleet tankers encouraged to cross the strait,” Brown said.
Bloomberg
