Amid what is being reported as worrying discrepancies between the U.S. and Iranian interpretations [5] of what had been agreed, an Iranian supertanker with 2 million barrels of oil is on its way to Asia [6] after sitting in Iranian waters for months, likely to be the first vessel holding floating excess stocks to sail after the nuclear deal.
[7]
As David Sheppard (@OilSheppard) explains,
- Vessel is the Starla from Iran's NITC. Loaded at Iran's Kharg Island terminal just over a month ago before going dark
- Appeared labelled as sailing to Iraq's Basrah on June 8 - a smuggling tactic UK insurers have warned of in past
- Starla now listed as sailing to Singapore - which doesn't have a waiver from US to take any Iranian oil
- If this is Iran (tanker owned by NTIC) sending message would be very interesting.
- Tanker was in floating storage/off radar for month
- So interesting that Iran oil sailing to country that US does NOT allow to import Iran oil
* * *
4) Sailed to STS berth of the UAE's Khor Fakkan port, also used by smugglers http://t.co/Q33haiGnC4 [8] pic.twitter.com/eOHFQcQ9o3 [9]
— David Sheppard (@OilSheppard) July 16, 2015 [10]
Smugglers? Or Iran sending a message?
