About 40 miles east of the Malaysian Peninsula lies the world’s largest concentration point for tankers.Dark FleetBillions of dollars worth of sanctioned Iranian oil is passed to China annually.
According to a Bloomberg report, Oil exports Trafficking in the first nine months of 2024 amounted to about 350 million barrels, with revenues estimated at more than $20 billion.
According to seven people familiar with the matter who work in the oil industry, shipping, or maritime security, most of the ships present at the scene are of Iranian origin.
It is possible that some of the ships operating in this area are not linked to “Dark FleetBut maritime security experts and multiple ship brokers said there was no clear reason for legitimate operators to undertake transport operations far from the coast where risks and logistical costs are high.
Other risks
Maritime security experts say this diverse group of ships, transporting oil with minimal inspection, means that a potentially dangerous and environmentally threatening spill is only a matter of time.
Legitimate shipowners are also concerned about the risks to their fleets from huge numbers of unsecured “dark” vessels passing through busy waterways with their transponders often turned off, this makes them difficult to detect, for example At night or in a storm, the risk of collision increases.
While the Ministry defended Chinese Foreign Ministry Regarding its trade with Iran and describing it as legal, international pressure on China and Tehran is expected to increase under the next US administration.
