Why Are Vessels With Iranian Oil Heading Towards Pakistan?

Two Iranian oil tankers carrying a combined 1 million barrels of crude have switched their destination signals to Karachi, likely seeking a safe waiting spot rather than an actual delivery point, as the US reimposes its naval blockade on Iranian shipping.

Two tankers loaded with Iranian crude have quietly switched their destination signals to Karachi, an unusual move that has little to do with actually delivering oil to Pakistan and everything to do with dodging a renewed US naval blockade.

Ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows that the Rani and the Amil, two vessels together carrying around 1 million barrels of crude, changed course signals to Karachi on Tuesday. At the time of the switch, both ships were already outside the Persian Gulf, right as Washington moved to reimpose its naval blockade targeting Iranian shipping.

What seems more likely is that the ships, a suezmax vessel and a medium range tanker, are simply looking for a place to sit tight, or potentially transfer their cargo onto other vessels once in Pakistani waters.

Charlie Brown, an adviser to the organization, who was cited in a Bloomberg report, explained that if this pattern is reappearing, it likely reflects a calculated decision by ship operators. Rather than planning to actually offload oil in Pakistan, they may simply view the area as a relatively safe spot to wait out the current situation.

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These transfers are often carried out at night or with transponders switched off entirely, allowing them to avoid detection by monitoring authorities. Most tankers leaving the Persian Gulf in recent weeks have signalled Singapore as their intended destination.