US conducts covert ship-to-ship oil transfers in Strait of Hormuz, sources say

The United States is conducting a covert operation in the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the uninterrupted flow of oil shipments from the Persian Gulf, according to reports.

The US Armed Forces are secretly escorting tankers and conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned surface vessels, and helicopters, Reuters reported, citing sources and satellite imagery.

At least 92 cargo vessels have participated in the process since the launch of the operation, the report said.

Sources stated that the plan is executed entirely and continuously under the control of the US military. According to the disclosed details, tankers arrive at a designated assembly point before reaching the Strait of Hormuz.

From there, they depart at staggered times, maintaining a distance of approximately 3 to 4 kilometers from one another. During the transit, the tankers switch off their transponders and extinguish their lights.

The US Armed Forces track the progress of the tankers via pre-determined routing points.

Once the tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz and arrive just outside the zone that Iran has declared under its own control, they pull alongside receiving vessels to begin the oil transfer.

This transfer process reportedly lasts between 24 and 40 hours, after which the emptied tankers return back through the strait. Reuters noted that this method resembles the scheme used by Iran to bypass sanctions.

Oil transfers conducted in two distinct areas

Sources familiar with the process reported that the ship-to-ship oil transfers began in the early days of May and are being carried out in two distinct locations.

One of these points is located off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the other is near the Port of Sohar in Oman.

Reuters reported that satellite imagery dated June 11 detected 17 pairs of vessels simultaneously conducting oil transfers across both areas.

Sources claimed that a US Air Force Apache-type helicopter, which was shot down by Iran on the evening of June 8 and triggered retaliatory strikes by Washington, was also involved in this covert mission.

Satellite imagery captured on the day of the incident showed six pairs of tankers positioned side-by-side off the coast of Sohar. When asked for comment on the matter, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) maintained that assets of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) are in no way involved in activities providing protection to ship-to-ship oil transfer operations on the high seas.

According to shipping documents reviewed by Reuters, a significant portion of the oil transported in the operation consists of exports originating from the UAE.

Sources added that the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company, a firm owned by the Kuwaiti state, is also actively participating in these transfers.

The UAE government, the UAE state oil company ADNOC, and the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company have not yet made any statements regarding the matter.

In a report published on June 3, Bloomberg also wrote that after Washington suspended its initiative dubbed “Project Freedom,” which envisioned escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy continued to quietly assist the transit of ships through the strait while trying not to publicize these activities.

The Iran-based Mehr news agency announced on June 10 that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper-type unmanned aerial vehicle in the skies over the Iranian city of Jam.

On the evening of the same day, US President Donald Trump announced that he was preparing to resume bombardments against Iran due to insufficient progress in negotiations and the downing of the Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman on the evening of June 8.

CENTCOM announced on June 11 that the US military, acting on the instructions of President Donald Trump, had begun conducting “additional self-defense strikes” against certain targets in Iran.

Washington later desisted from launching new strikes, and Trump announced on June 15 that a peace agreement had been signed between the US and Iran.

Trump declared that the Strait of Hormuz was already partially open to maritime traffic and would be fully opened on June 19.