UAE secretly transporting oil through Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports
Illustrative photo: the UAE transported around 6 million barrels of oil in April (Getty Images)
The United Arab Emirates secretly moved oil tankers through the blocked Strait of Hormuz, shutting off tracking systems to conceal exports, according to Reuters.
The state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) managed in April to export at least 4 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude and 2 million barrels of Das crude. To secretly navigate the strait, tracking systems were turned off on four tankers.
The moves highlight the risks the UAE is ready to take to maintain oil sales, while other regional suppliers, including Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar, either halted trade or significantly lowered prices. Saudi Arabia is currently using only the Red Sea for oil shipments.
The cargoes were either transferred to other vessels that later delivered the oil to Southeast Asia, unloaded into storage facilities in Oman, or shipped directly to refineries in South Korea.
Before the war in the Middle East, the UAE exported around 3.1 million barrels per day. Exports have now dropped by more than one million barrels daily.
Most Murban crude is now being transported through a land pipeline to Fujairah to avoid passing through the Strait of Hormuz. However, limited pipeline capacity prevents the UAE from returning to prewar export levels.
Strait of Hormuz blockade
The Strait of Hormuz has remained under partial blockade by Iran and the United States amid the ongoing conflict.
Recently, US President Donald Trump temporarily suspended Project Freedom, which was aimed at ensuring the safe passage and escort of commercial vessels.
Washington has warned that bombing against Iran could resume if Tehran fails to uphold previous agreements related to reopening the strategic waterway.
Iran later announced that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz had resumed under new procedures, although Tehran did not provide further details.
