The United Arab Emirates has been able to sneak some of its oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz directly under Iran’s nose, according to experts and shipping data.
The UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Co managed to export at least 6 million barrels of its crude in April aboard four tankers sailing through the Gulf, tracking data from Kplr and SynMax showed.
The United Arab Emirates has been able to sneak some of its oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz directly under Iran’s nose, according to experts and shipping data. REUTERSThe tankers were able to either unload their shipment to other vessels bound for Southeast Asia, dock in Oman, or sail directly to refineries in South Korea, three sources told Reuters.
The journey the four ships took demonstrates the risks producers and buyers are willing to take to free up oil sales despite Iran’s threats to attack any vessel daring to cross the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.
The ADNOC ships reportedly shut off their automatic identification system transponders to veil themselves from Iran’s detection, a tactic usually used by Tehran’s shadow fleet to skirt US sanctions.
The move makes it increasingly difficult to track the ADNOC’s exports, meaning it could have snuck even more tankers through the Gulf in April.
A cargo ship docked at the Port of Fujairah, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran limits marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. REUTERSAmong the ships that experts were able to track was the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Hafeet, which was loaded with 2 million barrels of oil and slipped through the Strait of Hormuz on April 15, according to Kpler.
The ship unloaded its crude to the Greek-flagged VLCC Olympic Luck just two days later, with the ship unloading in Malaysia, data from Kpler and SynMax
The UAE’s VLCC Aliakmon I was detected exiting the Strait on May 2, reaching Oman’s Ras Markaz storage terminal the following day.
Two Suezmax tankers, the Odessa and ZouZou N, each carrying 1 million barrels, were tracked heading to South Korea after exiting the Strait in April.
Trucks make their way into the Port of Fujairah on May 6, 2026. REUTERSNone of the companies who own the ships have made statements about their decision to cross the strait despite the dangers following Iranian attacks on cargo vessels when it took control of the waterway.
It remains unclear if Iran had been made aware of the UAE’s exports, but at least two of Abu Dhabi’s tankers were attacked and set on fire by suspected Iranian drones earlier this week.
The attack also targeted the UAE’s Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, the largest commercial storage hub for refined crude in the Middle East.
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