Adnoc LNG Tanker Appears in Gulf as Transparency Returns
(Bloomberg) -- A liquefied natural gas tanker owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. began sending a signal from within the Gulf, as more vessels broadcast their journeys and intentions in recent days following an interim peace deal between the US and Iran.
Umm Al Ashtan, a tanker owned by Adnoc Logistics & Services, appeared inside the gulf next to Adnoc’s Das Island LNG export plant on Wednesday after not sending a signal for nearly two weeks, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. That suggests that the vessel traversed the Strait of Hormuz recently with its transponder turned off.
More vessels have been turning on their transponders as they sail in and out of the Gulf in recent days, reflecting the improving security situation around Hormuz. While some ships have begun broadcasting their entire journeys in and out of the gulf, others, like Umm Al Ashtan and Adnoc’s Abu Dhabi II and Al Bateen, are still choosing to push through Hormuz in the dark.
Signaling from within the Gulf, though, is a shift from recent months when Adnoc’s vessels have avoided doing so due to safety concerns.
Adnoc didn’t immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
For about two months, Adnoc’s ships have halted at the eastern end of the Strait of Hormuz, switched of their transponders to traverse into the gulf, then restarted sending signals once out again with a cargo. At least six Adnoc LNG shipments were exported using this strategy since late-April, according to satellite and ship data.
More LNG vessels have been able to move openly through the waterway after the US and Iran signed an interim peace deal, with at least six empty tankers traversing the strait to come into the Gulf since Monday, as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates expand exports of the super-chilled fuel. Most of these ships were sending a signal while going through the waterway.
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