Oil companies avoid ships on Iran’s blacklist
Oil companies avoid ships on Iran’s blacklist
2026-08-26
Shafaq News – Follow-up
Informed sources revealed that at least three Indian oil refiners and a major global energy company intend to avoid using vessels listed on Iran’s new blacklist, including ship-to-ship oil transfers, for fear of being subjected to Iranian measures or security risks in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Reuters, the sources said that the companies took this approach due to security concerns, while other companies are studying the Iranian warning and waiting to see how it will be implemented before making decisions about their operations.
Last Sunday, Tehran announced a blacklist of 45 ships that it said had violated its rules regarding passage through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that it would take action against any ships carrying cargo with it.
The decision comes at a time when Iranian restrictions on shipping through the strait, a key passage for global energy supplies, have escalated. According to sources, the new measures aim to disrupt the so-called shuttle flights used by oil-producing Gulf states, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
These operations rely on tankers transporting oil from the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, before it is unloaded in the Gulf of Oman through ship-to-ship transfers to tankers bound for end users.
The sources indicated that these operations contributed to the continued flow of some Middle Eastern oil to the markets, despite the decline in shipping traffic through the strait as a result of the measures imposed by Iran during the war.
The so-called “Persian Gulf Strait Authority,” which Iran recently established to manage the strait, said that ships on the blacklist could face fines, detention, and confiscation of their cargo.
Despite some companies’ tendency to avoid listed vessels, sources said that the Iranian threats are unlikely to lead to a widespread halt in ship-to-ship transfers, with other companies continuing to assess the risks and developments related to the implementation of the decision.
shafaq.com
