Saudi Oil Tankers for India 'Go Dark' to Avoid Red Sea Blockade

Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Indian refiners have evaded curbs on movement in the Red Sea by temporarily going 'dark'.

The tankers, Amazon and Rodos, chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), loaded 1 million barrels of crude at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port and 700,000 barrels for MRPL around July 20.

Initially, they headed north towards the Suez Canal but switched off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders on July 22, making their movements unavailable to public tracking systems. They then changed course and sailed south to exit the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

This 'dark' sailing is a standard safety measure for ships operating in conflict zones, as demonstrated by disabling transponders after two other Dynacom-operated ships were struck by projectiles.