Empty oil tankers subject to US sanctions are still approaching the perimeter of a US naval blockade in the Gulf, vessel-monitoring group TankerTrackers reported. In a post on X, the service said the tanker VINA/VALLEY (IMO 9157478) — previously linked in monitoring reports to Iranian liquefied petroleum gas exports and alleged shipments to Houthi forces in Yemen — entered the US-declared blockade area while actively transmitting its Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal. TankerTrackers added that a larger Iranian oil tanker also arrived the same day and was reported empty.
The group warned that cargo-empty, sanctioned tankers arriving near the blockade can buy Tehran more time, a dynamic that complicates enforcement of sanctions and movement restrictions. The VINA/VALLEY has been singled out in earlier sanctions-related tracking for its role in Iranian LPG exports and suspected supply routes to the Houthis.
Separately, Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation said it is ready to provide maritime, technical and medical assistance to commercial vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters. Reported by state news agency IRNA, the advisory urged shipmasters and owners to contact Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) centres at the nearest Iranian ports or use local representatives on VHF channel 16 to request services and report operational needs. The notice followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a temporary pause to “Project Freedom,” an initiative intended to help commercial ships transit the Strait amid rising Gulf tensions.
The incidents come after US naval forces fired on an Iranian-flagged oil tanker, M/T Hasna, in the Gulf of Oman. US Central Command said American forces acted after the vessel failed to comply with repeated warnings while transiting international waters toward an Iranian port. The original report was published from a syndicated feed and republished as received.
