Analysts say ship-to-ship transfers remain active as experts point to evolving trade networks
KUALA LUMPUR: Satellite tracking data has indicated that the Iranian oil tanker Humanity recently entered waters near Malaysia’s Eastern Outer Port Limits (EOPL), where maritime security experts believe it may have prepared for a ship-to-ship oil transfer before switching off its Automatic Identification System (AIS).
According to analysts cited by Al Jazeera, the 330-metre crude oil tanker sailed through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore before reaching the EOPL, an offshore anchorage in the South China Sea frequently associated with maritime cargo transfers. Experts said vessels sometimes disable AIS transmissions during such operations, although the specific activities of the Humanity have not been independently verified.
Researchers and maritime specialists believe cargo transferred in the area may eventually reach independent Chinese refineries, which have historically imported significant volumes of Iranian crude despite international sanctions.
Offshore transfers remain under scrutiny
Maritime analysts said the EOPL has long served as a location for ship-to-ship transfers involving sanctioned oil from Iran, Russia and Venezuela.
Ray Powell, director of Stanford University’s SeaLight maritime monitoring project, told Al Jazeera that dozens of vessels have broadcast false or outdated identities while operating between the Gulf, Southeast Asia and northern China this year.
Experts also said multiple cargo transfers at sea can obscure the origin of crude oil before it reaches its final destination. Meanwhile, Malaysia recently amended its Exclusive Economic Zone legislation to tighten oversight of unauthorised anchoring, bunkering and offshore cargo transfers within its EEZ.
Sanctions continue to shape trade routes
Analysts said China does not officially report imports of Iranian crude, although trade experts argue that customs data indicate some oil imported from Malaysia may have originated elsewhere.
Beijing has consistently opposed unilateral US sanctions on Iran, maintaining that such measures lack international legal authority.
The United States has recently imposed additional sanctions on tankers and companies it alleges are involved in transporting Iranian oil to China. However, industry experts told Al Jazeera that alternative shipping, payment and trading networks continue to facilitate oil flows despite sanctions, while noting that military blockades have had the greatest impact on disrupting exports.
