Watching from space: How satellites spot ships involved in dark oil transfers

"When a VLCC started discharging oil to a smaller tanker in a ship-to-ship operation near the Malacca Strait this summer, ship tracking data suggested they were somewhere else - and nearly 13km apart. The Comoros-flagged 300,300-dwt Itaugua (built 1997) had long been linked to the Iranian trade so it came as little surprise when the veteran tanker laden with 2m barrels of crude was tracked passing through the Gulf of Oman heading to Asia in late July… The Itaugua has not been designated but campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran put it on a list of ships hauling Iranian oil more than two years ago. TradeWinds reported this week that the VLCC was reportedly sold for recycling. The Liberian-based owner and manager could not be reached for comment."