UAE secretly moves oil tanker through Strait of Hormuz without Iran approval

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has secretly passed an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz amid fears of attacks from Iran during the ongoing conflict in the region.

The tanker’s location trackers were turned off and it sailed through the Strait, declared closed for all commercial shipping by Iran, loaded with crude.

According to Reuters, the move highlights the risks that both buyers and sellers are willing to take to move the oil stranded in the Gulf.

Iran has earlier attacked multiple ships trying to pass the key oil trade route without its permission; however, it marks the first time that a UAE tanker was able to sail through the sea passageway without informing the Islamic Republic.

The recent shipment by the Arab country remained minimal as compared to its oil sales in general before the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Other oil producers such as Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have also seen a sharp decline in sales and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is shipping through the Red Sea.

Sources reveal that despite the war, UAE was able to sell around 4 million barrels of oil in April. 

This is just a fraction as data from Kpler reveals that the UAE was shipping approximately 3.1 million barrels per day (bpd) before the start of conflict.