Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz began to resume and several oil tankers linked to Iran reappeared in the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and moved through the Gulf of Oman, data from Kpler and Marine Traffic show this Wednesday, 17. The movement takes place in light of the memorandum of understanding between the USA and Iran.
According to reports, at least four loaded oil tankers reappeared at AIS yesterday (16), after loading crude oil at Kharg Island earlier this year.
The large oil tankers (VLCCs) Hero II and Diona, each carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil according to Kpler, sailed southeast and appear to have passed the blockade border between the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea with no final destination declared, a Marine Traffic post on X said.
The Suezmax vessel Sonia I, on the other hand, also followed a similar exit route, while the Amber, another loaded VLCC, reactivated AIS near the eastern mouth of the Strait of Hormuz with limited movement data available.
Marine Traffic says the legal background remains unclear, but the near-simultaneous reactivation of these vessels suggests coordinated decision-making by operators rather than isolated commercial movements. In a parallel publication, Tanker Trackers highlights that these are Iran’s first crude oil exports in two months.
