Gulf Oil Firms Use Dark Tankers With US Navy Escort to Bypass Iran Threat

Oil companies from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE have adopted a covert shipping strategy to move crude through the Persian Gulf amid Iranian drone threats. The method involves chartering tankers and disabling their transponders, effectively making the vessels invisible to tracking systems. These so-called 'dark' tankers are then escorted through the Strait of Hormuz under US Navy protection. The workaround has allowed Gulf producers to maintain oil exports despite the security risks posed by Iranian drone activity in the region. This continued flow of crude is playing a role in keeping global oil prices from spiking sharply.