Iran resumes crude loading at Kharg Island after US blockade lifted

Iran Resumes Oil Exports at Kharg Island After US Blockade Lifted

Iran has resumed loading crude oil at its Kharg Island export terminal after a hiatus of about six weeks, marking one of the clearest signs yet that Tehran is moving to restore its petroleum trade following the lifting of a US Navy blockade on its ports.

Three very large crude carriers, each capable of hauling roughly 2 million barrels of crude, were moored at the Sea Island terminal on the western side of Kharg Island on Saturday, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. A satellite image from the European Union’s Sentinel-2 system captured earlier Saturday showed two of the vessels already berthed, with a third approaching the jetty. An image from Friday showed the berths empty, underscoring how rapidly the situation shifted.ndtv

A Six-Week Drought at Kharg

The resumption follows a prolonged period during which no tankers were regularly loading at Kharg’s crude jetties. Since May 6, only a single VLCC had been observed moored at either of the island’s two jetties across satellite images covering 27 of the 44 days, Bloomberg reported. By mid-May, the jetties had been repeatedly photographed empty, reflecting the squeeze the US naval blockade imposed on Iran’s ability to move its oil.bloomberglaw

The three tankers now at Kharg — identified as the Stream, Impalas, and Lauren II — were all observed crossing the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf on Thursday after the blockade was formally lifted.ndtv

Blockade Ends, Oil Flows

US Central Command declared on Thursday that American forces had ended their blockade on vessels navigating to and from Iranian ports, part of a ceasefire arrangement between Washington and Tehran. In exchange, Iran pledged to ensure the safe passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which roughly 20 percent of global oil shipments flow.npr

The deal, signed on Wednesday, gives both sides 60 days to negotiate a final agreement. Under its terms, Iranian oil exports are exempt from US sanctions and will flow freely through the strait.npr

Chabahar Tankers Already Departed

Even before Kharg’s berths filled up again, Iran had already begun moving oil stockpiled during the blockade. Bloomberg reported that 11 tankers carrying a combined 20 million barrels of crude departed from Iran’s Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman over the past week. These vessels had been anchored off the port, prevented by the US Navy from sailing into the Indian Ocean.nypost

With at least 20 tankers of various sizes still anchored east of Kharg, Iran has ample crude ready to ship. Several additional empty tankers are now sailing into the Persian Gulf, suggesting loading operations will continue to ramp up in the coming days.ndtv