Iranian 'Ghost Fleet' Tankers Evade US Blockade to Smuggle LPG to China, UANI Reports

Small Iranian tankers are managing to slip past the US naval blockade and smuggle sanctioned liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to China through a maritime hub off Malaysia, according to US investigators who covertly filmed one vessel in September. The months-long probe by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) identified at least nine similar tankers that have evaded US restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz since Washington reinstated the Iranian port blockade in July.

UANI named one of the sanctioned tankers as the SOGL, which allegedly escaped the blockade on September 1 carrying approximately 500,000 barrels of Iranian LPG collected at an Iranian port in August. The vessel then traveled thousands of miles to a Malaysian offshore anchorage, where UANI filmed it receiving fuel and other services offshore, before continuing to China and discharging its cargo.

"This tanker had loaded its Iranian LPG from Assaluyeh Port, Iran, in late August. It then breached the US blockade and made its way to a Malaysian anchorage," said Jemima Shelley, a senior analyst at UANI. "What this shows us is that some vessels are managing to breach the US maritime blockade. Most vessels aren’t, but since the reinstatement in mid-July, we have seen only nine small tankers being successful in their breach of the US blockade and departing the Gulf of Oman laden with oil or LPG."

At the center of the operation is the Malaysian Eastern Outer Port Limits Anchorage, known as the EOPL, an offshore shipping area approximately 70 kilometers from Malaysia’s coastline. According to Shelley, the anchorage has become a critical staging ground for Iran’s sanctioned energy trade with China, allowing vessels to wait offshore, receive supplies, and transfer cargo between tankers. This provides a logistical lifeline for Iranian energy exports as American naval forces patrol waters closer to Iran.

The UANI findings come amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and US sanctions enforcement. The use of a Malaysian anchorage highlights the challenges of fully enforcing maritime sanctions, as tankers exploit gaps in international waters to evade detection and continue trade.