(Reuters)
LONDON, July 20 – Oil transfers between tankers in waters outside the Strait of Hormuz have slowed following a wave of recent attacks on vessels by Iranian forces, according to satellite analysis and sources.
Since the start of the Iran war in late February, ship-to-ship (STS) transfers between tankers have helped enable oil to leave the Gulf despite the threats to commercial vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Under the practice, tankers using one of two makeshift routes close to either the Iranian or Omani coast have shuttled cargoes through the waterway with clearance from either Washington or Tehran.
Ships waiting in open waters outside the strait can then load the oil without having to make their own complex transit arrangements or get approval from their insurers.
In June, Reuters reported that the U.S. military had helped vessels through as part of an operation involving scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters to guide tankers. Those transfers have taken place in the Gulf of Oman.
