Two Tankers Carrying Iranian Oil Anchor Near India

On April 13, two supertankers laden with Iranian crude oil, which are under sanctions, anchored at a port in India. This may mark the first shipment of Iranian oil to India in nearly seven years, coinciding with increased U.S. efforts to curb Tehran's exports. Since 2019, India has not received Iranian crude due to U.S. sanctions. However, a waiver last month allowed the purchase of crude oil already in transit, aimed at mitigating the impact of the Middle East conflict on global supplies. As the world's third-largest crude oil importer, India subsequently announced plans to purchase oil from Iran and other countries to address the energy crisis. Vessel tracking data shows that the Felicity tanker anchored near Sikka in western India late Sunday. According to the Equasis database, this very large crude carrier belongs to the National Iranian Tanker Company and is loaded with 2 million barrels of Iranian oil, which was shipped from the oil export hub of Khark Island in mid-March. The Jaya tanker began signaling on Sunday, indicating it was anchored near Paradip on India's east coast. Before the U.S. and Israel began attacks on Iran, this vessel loaded 2 million barrels of crude oil from Khark Island in late February.