Iranian Oil Tankers Go Dark To Evade U.S Naval Blockade In Hormuz Strait

Two Iranian VLCCs, the Hero II and Hedy, evaded the U.S naval blockade of Iranian ports and trade routes, sailing out of the Persian Gulf, carrying a combined 4 million barrels of oil.

Satellite images showed the Iranian-flagged tankers moving into the Arabian Sea on April 20, 2026.

This demonstrated the limited capacity of the U.S. Navy to block Iran’s oil exports, though Trump described the efforts as a “tremendous success”.

Data from Vortexa show that Iran’s exports have continued despite U.S threats, with 34 Iran-linked tankers and gas carriers exiting the strait and the US blockade line, stretching from the Omani shores near Ras al Hadd, northeast to the Iran-Pakistani border.

These ships are turning off their transponders to evade the U.S forces.

The VLCC Hero II was last seen more than a month ago, sailing northward in the Strait of Malacca, while Hedy last broadcast its location off Khor Fakkan in February.

The final destination of those two ships remains unclear, though a majority of Iran’s oil ends up in China. India, too, received 2 shipments of Iranian crude in the past weeks.

Other vessels have also evaded the U.S Navy in the region. One such is a small LPG Tanker called G Summer, which is on the U.S Sanctions List.

A Gambia-flagged cargo ship, the Lian Star, also crossed the Hormuz on Tuesday.

The Atlantis II, a US-sanctioned long-range fuel tanker, also dodged the U.S Navy and is now near Larak Island, which sits in Hormuz.

LPG Sevan is also nearing Hormuz, despite indicating Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates within the Persian Gulf as its destination.