A second liquefied natural gas tanker managed by Abu Dhabi's National Oil Company (ADNOC) has crossed the Strait of Hormuz and appears to be near Indonesia, ship-tracking data showed on Wednesday.
If confirmed, this will be the second LNG tanker to cross the strait since the US-Iran war started on February 28. Reuters reported on April 27 that LNG tanker Mubaraz, also managed by ADNOC, crossed Hormuz for the first time since the conflict started.
ADNOC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The 136,357-cubic-metre tanker, Mraweh, which is chartered by ADNOC GAS, was shown loaded off Indonesia on Wednesday, suggesting that it has been through the strait, after it went dark - without AIS signal - on April 19, according to data from Orbify, an LNG vessel tracking platform.
Ships around the Persian Gulf have been using evasive tactics such as stopping transmitting their locations or transmitting false identification numbers to avoid being targeted or detained, ship-tracking data showed.
"Mraweh, Al Hamra, Umm Al Ashtan and Marigold have all gone into anchorage off Fujairah and have shown similar AIS disconnection patterns. Earlier this month, Mubaraz, which is also operated by ADNOC, transited the Strait of Hormuz on its way to Asia. I’d expect these vessels to follow a similar route," said Kyle Hewitt, an executive at Orbify.
(Reporting by Marwa Rashad in London; Editing by Nina Chestney)