ESA Satellite Records 19 Ship to Ship Transfers Despite Gulf Attacks

The traffic persists despite reports that Iran recently disabled a tanker by striking its engine room and that another very large crude carrier has been on fire for four days. Industry observers noted that the Iranian tanker HEMERA/MANOHAR was positioned in the transfer area on October 4, raising questions about whether the vessel moved its cargo to a clean tanker to evade monitoring. Tracking data suggests a 3% to 5% hit rate for tankers crossing the strait into the Persian Gulf.