Oil Companies to Steer Clear of Iran Blacklisted Ships

At least three Indian oil refiners and a global energy major plan to stop using vessels on Iran's new blacklist, including for ship-to-ship transfers, due to security concerns, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said this week.

Tehran announced on Sunday a blacklist of 45 ships it said had broken its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and would take action against any vessels transferring loads with them, escalating its threats over the key waterway for global energy supplies six months into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Iran's announcement appears designed to impede the so-called shuttle runs Gulf oil producers such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have undertaken with dedicated tankers to move oil from the Gulf through Hormuz for unloading through STS transfers in the Gulf of Oman onto ships to end-users.

The shuttle runs have kept alive oil flows from the Middle East that have been curtailed by Iran's clampdown on shipping through the strait because of the war.

The named vessels could be fined, detained and have their cargoes confiscated, according to a post on social media website X from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a new body set up by