Iran-Linked Tankers U-Turn, Zig-Zag as US Enforces Blockade

By Weilun Soon and Rong Wei Neo

Jul 17, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Two US-sanctioned tankers carrying cooking fuel are U-turning and zig-zagging in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, part of a flotilla of vessels laden with Iranian energy exports that are facing an aggressive US blockade of the country’s shipping.

The unusual movements come as the US enforces its new action against Iranian shipping that began on Tuesday. Since then, American forces have redirected three merchant ships, boarded a vessel for verification purposes, and disabled a tanker that failed to comply with instructions, US Central Command said in a social-media post late on Thursday.

The locations of the disabled tanker, which was hit by US missiles deep in the Persian Gulf near Iran’s oil export terminal of Kharg Island, and the ship that was boarded, in the Gulf of Oman, point to a wider area of operations for the renewed blockade compared with the previous one.

The liquefied petroleum gas carrier Glendale was sailing in the Gulf of Oman at a steady pace into the Arabian Sea late Thursday when it abruptly made a U-turn, and came to a stop off the coast of Oman on Friday, according to ship-tracking data. Danuta I was signaling Sri Lanka as a destination, but had barely made it into the Arabian Sea on Thursday when it began moving in an unusual zig-zag fashion. It’s now traveling at a slow speed that’s not in the direction of Sri Lanka.

A third US-sanctioned LPG vessel, the very large gas carrier Celeste, was observed sailing into the Arabian Sea, and indicating China as its destination.

Some 91 Iran-linked oil, LPG and petrochemical tankers — including empty ones — have been spotted in satellite images in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman over the last seven days, according to figures from nonprofit organization United Against Nuclear Iran. The energy and shipping markets are keenly following the movements of the flotilla to understand how tightly the US military is running its blockade.

Read More: US Strikes Iranian-Linked Oil Tanker Deep Within Persian Gulf 

Elsewhere, Iran-linked ships that had left the Persian Gulf earlier appeared to also make abrupt changes to planned journeys.

This week, two that had signaled Karachi as their destination later reversed course back toward the Gulf of Oman as the blockade came into effect. A third tanker was sailing westward past Sri Lanka before making a U-turn on Thursday, and is now anchored off the country’s coast.

Observable shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz remained subdued early on Friday. Only four Iran-linked vessels crossed in either direction with their transponders turned on the previous day, although one small oil tanker that had made an eastbound transit to leave the Persian Gulf then turned around again to return to the inland sea.

Glendale’s owner is listed as Ecoseas Maritime Ltd., which shares an India-based address with its manager, Bluveera Shipping OPC Pvt Ltd., on the Equasis database. A call made to Ecoseas’s Bulgarian telephone number didn’t get through, while Bluveera has no email or contact number listed. Similarly, no emails or phone numbers were listed for Danuta I’s owner and manager, Panama-based Ithaki Maritime and Trading SA. Celeste’s owner, Aerilyn Shipping Inc., also based in Panama, didn’t list any email or phone number.

© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.

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