Iran War Shipping Update - April 10, 2026

Since the onset of Operation Epic Fury, UANI has monitored a significant volume of Iranian oil at sea. Illicit Iranian oil sales are a major source of funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is currently conducting military and terrorist operations targeting the U.S., Israel, Arab states in the Persian Gulf, and international shipping. In the weeks leading up to the conflict, Tehran sharply increased crude loadings and offshore stockpiling to cushion the impact of war on its oil trade. Amid ongoing hostilities, the Iranian regime’s Ghost Fleet continues to operate actively — loading cargo, transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and heading east toward its primary buyer, China. UANI’s regular shipping update will continue to monitor and report on the illicit maritime movements of the Iranian regime’s ghost fleet throughout the conflict.

To read UANI’s advisory urging oil purchasing countries to ensure strict domestic ringfencing of money used in purchase of Iranian oil, click here.

Status of the Strait of Hormuz

On April 7, President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Pakistan mediated the ceasefire following Tehran’s 10-point peace proposal which is subject to the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz, effectively ending its wartime closure. Reports suggest, however, that Iran is already blocking vessels attempting to transit the Strait, with Iranian regime media blaming Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

A ceasefire will not immediately normalize shipping through the international traffic lanes in the Strait. Shipowners will await authoritative guidance from naval security channels, flag states, and marine war risk insurers before sending vessels back through. Once early risk-tolerant vessels complete safe passages, confidence should build quickly, drawing more traffic. Still, recovery of global shipping, especially petroleum supply chains, will take time to slowly recover after such a major disruption.

The Strait of Hormuz therefore remains a critical flashpoint in the Iran war. Since the start of the conflict, there have been at least 25 commercial vessels hit, plus four near misses.

The escalating risk has created severe congestion and instability across the Persian Gulf’s shipping lanes. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, about 138 vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz daily.  Since March 1, 2026, marine traffic data shows growing clusters of loitering vessels on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz, with many refraining from transiting due to safety concerns. By April 10, 15 vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz, according to Windward, demonstrating a marginal uptick in traffic following the ceasefire.

On April 8, an unconfirmed map issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) outlined a proposed Hormuz traffic separation scheme requiring vessels to coordinate with the IRGC Navy. The latest purported guidance from Iran also warns of anti-ship mines in the main traffic lane, while the IRGC continues to vet traffic based on geopolitical affiliation.
 

Iran’s formal notice of the Strait of Hormuz transit routes published on April 8 (Source: Iran’s National Security Commission)

Numerous OFAC-sanctioned and UANI-listed tankers — alongside some non-sanctioned, ostensibly legitimate vessels — have transited the Strait of Hormuz intermittently switching off their AIS signals. Many have passed the waterway between Larak and Qeshm islands before continuing through the strait, while a handful of others sailed via Omani waters along Oman’s coastline, creating two parallel transit patterns as shipping adapted to the evolving security environment. So far, there have been no openly transiting vessels through international shipping lanes since the conflict began, raising real questions of when usual patterns will resume as the fragile ceasefire holds.

Iranian Oil-Laden Tankers in the Persian Gulf 

UANI has identified at least 29 tankers laden with Iranian oil — primarily crude — currently operating inside the Persian Gulf, west of the Strait of Hormuz.

Two floating storage tankers laden with Iranian cargoes in the Persian Gulf are currently transmitting AIS signals — a relatively unusual occurrence for Iranian oil-laden vessels. 
 

Map of Iranian oil laden tankers in the Persian Gulf on April 10
 

Iran-linked Vessels at Chabahar Port, Iran

Iran-linked tankers and cargo vessels are loitering and anchoring outside of the Persian Gulf at Chabahar Port, Iran. On April 6, there were at least 15 Iran-flagged tankers all observed by satellite imagery near Chabahar Port laden with Iranian crude.

Number of Iranian Loadings

Since the outbreak of the conflict, UANI has tracked at least 38 Iranian oil loadings, 24 of which originated from Kharg Island, Iran. These shipments represent approximately 47 million barrels of Iranian oil, generating an estimated revenue of over $4 billion for the IRGC, which continues to fund Iran’s active missile and drone programs central to the conflict. This figure is notably higher than usual given the sharp increase in oil prices, including Iranian crude.

Iran-oil Laden Tankers That Have Left the Persian Gulf

Since the start of the conflict, UANI has observed at least 36 ghost fleet tankers laden with Iranian oil that have left the Persian Gulf — some broadcasting their AIS signals and others operating clandestinely. These tankers are enroute to Malaysia to conduct ship-to-ship (STS) transfers with other ghost fleet vessels bound for China.

The falsely flagged, OFAC-sanctioned supertanker JAYA (IMO 9410387), also listed on UANI’s Ghost Armada, reached Paradip, India anchorage on April 9, laden with approximately 2 million barrels of Iranian crude which it had loaded at Kharg Island on February 27. Satellite imagery on April 10 confirms the vessel’s position. Originally bound for Qingdao, China, it bypassed the Malacca Strait via Indonesia’s Sunda Strait toward the Riau archipelago — likely for a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer — before it then diverted northwest through Malacca toward the Bay of Bengal, with its AIS offline signal until April 9. This vessel could be transporting under the sanctions waiver issued by OFAC on March 20, though that remains unconfirmed speculation.

Falsely flagged tanker’s journey from the Persian Gulf to Paradip, India (Credit: Vessel Finder and ESA Copernicus)

Iran-flagged Tankers Globally

UANI has also monitored Iranian-flagged tankers operating beyond the Persian Gulf. Since the conflict began, at least 22 Iranian-flagged tankers have reached Southeast Asian waters bound for the Eastern Outer Port Limits (EOPL) anchorage off Johor, Malaysia. 

Meanwhile, at least 29 Iran-flagged tankers have begun returning and reporting empty to Iran from the Malaysian EOPL anchorage and Southeast Asian sea lanes, since the start of the conflict. On April 10, HASNA (IMO 9212917) departed the EOPL reporting empty and transited the Singapore Strait.

Iran-Oil Laden Tankers off the Malaysian Coast

Since the start of the conflict, UANI has recorded 96 Iranian oil laden tankers in the EOPL anchorage, a ghost fleet hotspot approximately 70 km off Malaysia’s coast. All of these tankers have been spotted in satellite imagery.

On April 10, 32 tankers listed on UANI's Ghost Armada were anchored or loitering in the EOPL area with their AIS signals active. Despite the ongoing conflict, it is business as usual for the Iranian oil trade to China, where ghost fleet tankers continue to operate with impunity across Southeast Asia's sea lanes. 

Iran-Flagged Cargo Ships Globally

Two Iran flagged OFAC-sanctioned container ships BEHNAVAZ (IMO 9346548) and BETHA (IMO 9349590) sailed the South China Sea on April 10, en route to Zuhai, China. Zuhai Port in China’s Gaolan Island, not far from Macau, has been identified in press reports, as linked to supplies of sodium perchlorate, a critical precursor for solid rocket fuel used in ballistic missiles. The port has had nine visits by seven OFAC sanctioned Iranian-flagged container ships since the start of the war.

Two Iran flagged container ships en route to Zuhai, China, on April 9 (Credit: Marine Traffic)

The Iran-flagged bulk cargo ship ARVIN (IMO 9193202), laden with an unknown cargo, transited the Singapore Strait on April 9. According to its AIS signal, it is bound for the bulk cargo terminal at Dafeng, China.

Meanwhile, the Iran-flagged bulk carrier DELRUBA (IMO 9305207), reporting empty on AIS, transited the Singapore and Malacca Straits on April 9. It departed the Chinese port of Huanghua in the Bohai Gulf on March 30, after discharging an unspecified bulk cargo that it had loaded at Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Iran flagged bulk carrier transiting the Southeast Asian sea lanes on April 10 
(Credit: Marine Traffic)