Three ships sailing under the names of those previously recorded as scrapped have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to tracking data.
The true identities of the vessels, falsely broadcasting the unique identifier codes of these supposedly dismantled ‘zombie’ ships, are unknown.
While it is unclear how they defied Iran’s drone and missile-maintained blockade of the strait, some analysts believing they may have taken a Tehran approved route.
On Friday morning, the LNG Jamal was recorded off the coast of Dubai, west of the strait, but was later that day detected five times near Iran, on the eastern side of the passage, according to maritime data firm Kpler.
Later on Friday, a vehicle carrier called the Baltic Highway also sailed from Dubai and through the strait of Hormuz. Both the Jamal and the Baltic Highway were Japanese-owned.
Accounts of their passing through the strait follow reports from Japanese outlet Kyodo News that Iran was “ready to support the passing of Japan-related vessels,” citing Iranian foreign minister Abbas Aragchi.
A third ship, the crude oil tanker named the Nabiin, was picked up passing through the strait on Sunday, having earlier been detected in the Persian Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data.
However, all three of the vessels have officially been dismantled – the Jamal in India last year, the Baltic Highway also in India in 2020, and the Nabiin in Bangladesh in 2021. Their current whereabouts and cargo are unknown.
The use of false identities by such ‘zombie’ vessels is not new, having been widely employed by the ‘shadow fleets’ of North Korea for decades as well as Russia since at least their 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, it is the first time such tactics are thought to have been used since the US-Israeli war against Iran began on 28 February.
According to shipping journal Lloyd’s List, these ships passed through the “Tehran Toll Booth” on Qeshm and Larak Islands, where Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel verify vessel details and, in certain cases, impose a passage fee.
More than 20 vessels have passed through this route, at least two of which were these “zombie” ships, the journal reported. One ship is reported to have paid the IRGC $2m for safe passage.
Since the war began, Iran has imposed an effective blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, threatening use of drones and exploding boats for those that defy it.
It is the only way into or out of the Persian Gulf, through which one fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supply passes on tankers destined for ports around the globe.
Initially, all ships were exempt from passage, leaving up to 3,000 vessels stranded and sending global energy prices soaring.
However, Tehran announced on Tuesday they would be relaxing conditions of the blockade to allow “non-hostile” vessels.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said ships may avail of “safe passage” through the strait, “provided that they neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran and fully comply with the declared safety and security regulations.”
Nevertheless, global fuel supplies are still choked and energy prices remain just below $100 per barrel, well above the pre-war price of $72.
