US-Linked Tankers Seized by Navy Now Bound for American Shores
Three oil tankers seized by the US Navy in April and June are now headed towards the US coast, according to vessel-tracking data from TankerTrackers and Kpler. The ships, Majestic X, Tifani, and Lenore, were carrying nearly six million barrels of Iranian crude valued at around $600 million. These tankers were part of a broader US campaign against Iran's sanctions-evading oil trade.
The vessels were seized in the Indian Ocean and are now off the coast of Brazil, with two of them having rounded Cape Horn this week. The cargoes are Iranian-origin crude loaded at Kharg Island or Jask, and after forfeiture proceedings, it is likely that the oil will be sold into the market rather than stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
The US government has described the operations as 'right-of-visit' interdictions of stateless, sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran. The ships had loaded in Iran and were bound for China or Singapore before being seized. These are classic shadow-fleet / ghost-fleet / dark-fleet vessels that change names, spoof or disable AIS, fly flags of convenience or false flags, and are owned or managed through layers of companies in India and elsewhere.