US uses ship-to-ship transfers to keep Gulf oil exports moving amid Hormuz disruption

The United States has been using a large network of ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf crude exports moving amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation has involved moving cargoes away from the most vulnerable parts of the waterway and into larger vessels outside the strait. It has taken place near Sohar in Oman and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, according to the supplied material.

Sponsored

Reuters-reviewed data cited in the report says at least 116 vessels have taken part since early May. The cargoes have included crude oil, condensates and petroleum products. The transfers are said to be carried out under heavy security, often at night, with staggered sailing schedules and carefully coordinated transfer points.

The report says the operation began after conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran significantly disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway normally carries a substantial share of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, so any interruption can quickly affect energy markets and importing countries. The operation has reportedly received support from US military surveillance aircraft, drones, helicopters and naval assets monitoring shipping lanes and transfer zones.

The scale of the effort underlines how exposed global energy flows remain to instability around the strait. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, and the need to reroute cargoes around its most vulnerable sections shows the practical impact of security risks on maritime trade. The use of ship-to-ship transfers also reflects a logistics model more commonly associated with sanctions evasion, which the report says the current operation resembles in method.

Sponsored

According to the report, the vessels have used tactics including staggered departures and operations in less congested waters. Many of the transfers have been concentrated near Sohar and Fujairah, both of which sit close to key Gulf shipping routes. Reuters also previously quoted US Energy Secretary Chris Wright as saying around 7 million barrels of oil per day were being moved out of the Gulf with help from a largely undisclosed military-backed effort.

What remains unclear is how long the operation will continue and whether shipping conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will stabilise. The supplied material does not say how the transfers are being coordinated publicly or whether the arrangement is intended as a short-term emergency measure. What to watch next is whether the flow of vessels, the level of military support and the security situation around the strait change in the coming days.

#StraitofHormuz #shiptoshiptransfers #Gulfoilexports #Fujairah #Sohar