Middle East Oil Producers Employ 'Dark' Transits to Bypass Iranian Threats

Oil producers in the Middle East have adopted an unconventional strategy to evade Iranian threats and maintain oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz. Dubbed 'dark' transits, this tactic involves turning off vessel tracking systems and relying on US military escorts during nighttime passages.

The approach was first employed by the Greek-owned supertanker Kiku, which deactivated its AIS transponder after navigating through the Strait of Hormuz on July 31. The move allowed the vessel to avoid detection and minimize exposure to Iranian drone attacks.

According to the US Department of Energy, this strategy has been successful in maintaining an average oil traffic flow of 8-9 million barrels per day through the Strait of Hormuz. This is twice as much as projected by Wall Street analysts and shipping trackers based on visible transponder data.