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Iran's shadow oil trade endures near Singapore despite war

Since March 1, at least 37 Iran-linked tankers have transferred at least 62.3 million barrels of crude near Singapore, according to Kpler data analysed by AFP. These ship-to-ship transfers help Iran evade international sanctions.
Iran's ageing 'ghost fleet' operates clandestinely, exploiting opaque ownership, false flags, and GPS manipulation to 'launder' cargoes and evade global sanctions. Ship-to-ship transfers on the high seas disguise the origin of these illicit shipments.
An area southeast of the Malay Peninsula has emerged as a strategic hub for these transfers. Amir Handjani of the US-based Quincy Institute described the STS situation there as 'total anarchy.'
Cargoes typically head to Chinese ports in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces. Elisabeth Braw of the Atlantic Council said 'contradictory activities' by the United States make shadow exports safer than legitimate trade.
STS transfers are expected to thrive following the United States blockade of Iranian ports that started on Monday. Naveen Das, an analyst at Kpler, told AFP 'there's a lot of Iranian oil still on the water as floating storage.

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17 Articles

The Straits Times

Lean Right

Iran’s shadow oil trade endures near Singapore despite war

It helps Tehran evade sanctions and maintain trade with China. Read more at straitstimes.com.

23 hours ago·Singapore

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France24

+13 Reposted by 13 other sources

Center

Iran's shadow oil trade endures near Singapore despite war

Near Singapore, thousands of miles from the Strait of Hormuz, ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil have continued during the Middle East war, helping Tehran evade sanctions and maintain trade with China.

24 hours ago·France

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rtl.lu

'It's really the main hub': Iran's shadow oil trade endures near Singapore despite war

23 hours ago·Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

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MARINE & OCÉANS

Near Singapore, Iranian Crude Oil Transfers Continued During the War

Paris (France), 16 Apr 2026 (AFP) – Near Singapore, 6,000 km from the Strait of Ormuz, Iranian oil shipments continued during the war in the Middle East, a practice adopted by Tehran to circumvent international sanctions and trade with China. Nearly 400 tankers are sanctioned by [...] Read more Close to Singapore, transfers of Iranian crude oil continued during the war appeared first on MARINE & OCEANS.

1 day ago

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