A crude oil tanker, captained by an Indian captain, has crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz and reached Mumbai. The Liberian-flagged tanker, Shenlong Suezmax, arrived at Mumbai Port on Wednesday. The tanker was carrying crude oil from Ras Tanura Port in Saudi Arabia. The ship was carrying 135,335 metric tons of crude oil. While passing through a high-risk area amid the ongoing conflict in the Gulf, the tanker briefly turned off its tracking system to go into “dark mode”.
Last signal received on March 9
According to tanker tracking platforms, the last recorded signal of the Shenlong Suezmax in the Strait of Hormuz was received on March 9. Subsequently, it briefly switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) while passing through the strait. The ship reappeared on the tracking system on Wednesday, a day before docking in Mumbai. According to tankertracker.com, two very large crude oil tankers (VLCCs), three Suezmax tankers and one Panamax tanker have been offline from AIS tracking for at least 48 hours. These ships are going to China, India and Japan.
What is AIS system?
Automatic Identification System (AIS) is used on ships to provide information about a ship’s identity, location and movements to other ships and coastal authorities. Its main objective is to increase navigational safety and prevent collisions. Disabling the system makes it difficult to trace ships.
Since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, the Iranian military has closed the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a major sea route that carries more than 20 million barrels of crude oil a day. This accounts for about one-fifth of worldwide oil consumption.
According to reports, Iran has attacked at least 16 ships so far. The Indian government says that currently 28 Indian flagged ships are operating in the Persian Gulf area. On Wednesday, a Thai plane bound for Gujarat was attacked.