Media: Iranian oil tankers anchor off Indian coast after years of disruption

Two sanctioned supertankers carrying Iranian crude have anchored off Indian ports, in what could represent the first such deliveries to the country in nearly seven years, as Washington intensifies efforts to restrict Tehran’s oil exports, Bloomberg reports.

The supertanker Felicity anchored near Sikka on India’s western coast on April 12, according to vessel-tracking data. The very large crude carrier, linked to Iran’s National Iranian Tanker Company based on Equasis records, is carrying around 2 million barrels of Iranian oil loaded from Kharg Island in mid-March.

Another vessel, Jaya, began transmitting signals on April 12, indicating it is stationed near Paradip on India’s eastern shoreline. The ship had taken on a similar 2 million-barrel cargo from Kharg Island in late February, before US and Israeli strikes targeting Iran escalated. Ownership of Jaya is listed as unknown in Equasis, a frequent characteristic of tankers operating within Iran’s sanction-evading export network.

India has not imported Iranian crude since 2019 due to US sanctions. However, a recent waiver permitted the purchase of oil already en route, aimed at mitigating supply disruptions linked to Middle East tensions. The world’s third-largest oil importer has since indicated it may resume buying Iranian cargoes alongside other sources as it manages the evolving energy situation.

By Jeyhun Aghazada