ADNOC Sends Another LNG Carrier Through Hormuz in “Dark Mode”

Emirati ADNOC has sent a second LNG carrier through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported today, citing shipping data that shows the vessel is sailing to India.

The publication earlier this week reported that ADNOC has been using its own fleet of tankers to ship oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz in so-called dark mode, where vessels switch off their geolocation indicators to remain unnoticed.

The Umm Al Ashtan may well have done the same thing, with Bloomberg noting that the LNG carrier had stopped sending a signal around May 2, when it was empty and idling near the entrance to the Strait. The publication then cited satellite data showing that the Umm Al Ashtan loaded at the Das Island LNG export terminal, again with its geolocation switched off.

This latest passage adds to a growing number of LNG carriers and tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran proposed making individual deals with governments in the Gulf and importing nations to secure safe passage for vessels in exchange for payments.

Earlier this week, another two LNG carriers also passed through Hormuz and are en route to their final destinations in Pakistan and China. A very large crude carrier also cleared Hormuz earlier this week and is now sailing to China. ADNOC specifically has sent three other tankers via the Strait in dark mode, Bloomberg reported, citing the company.

The Emirati energy major has been among the hardest hit by the Hormuz closure, which prompted it to accelerate plans for boosting the capacity of a pipeline that bypasses the chokepoint. Earlier this month, the company disclosed plans to build a new pipeline to Fujairah, doubling the capacity of the existing export conduit to the port city sitting right outside the Strait of Hormuz by next year. ADNOC also recently warned that the impact of the war on energy supply could stretch into 2027.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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