Sanctioned Iranian Tanker Slips Past U.S. Blockade, Delivers Cargo to China

SOGL, a Comoros-flagged tanker, carried Iranian liquefied petroleum gas through a blockade that has largely stopped Iranian crude exports. Its voyage shows that smaller, non-crude shipments can still reach China despite U.S. enforcement. The Treasury Department later sanctioned the vessel as part of a 17-vessel shadow fleet action.

The tanker loaded LPG at Assaluyeh Port in late August and passed the blockade on September 1. UANI chartered a supply boat and filmed SOGL at Malaysia’s EOPL anchorage on September 16, where it received fuel and other services. It then sailed through the South China Sea and discharged at Xinzhou Port in China.

Treasury said SOGL’s owner, Gravion Maritime Company, had transported more than two million barrels of Iranian propane and butane since September 2025. The voyage highlights Malaysia’s anchorage as a support point and China as the main destination for Iran’s remaining liquid cargo exports.

Liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, is a fuel made mainly from propane and butane. It is stored as a liquid under pressure, but it becomes gas when released for use. Crude oil is a naturally occurring liquid mixture that must be refined into products such as gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel. The article discusses both as separate cargoes.

That difference matters operationally. The article identifies Iranian LPG cargoes on smaller tankers, including SOGL with about 500,000 barrels and DANDELION with 490,000 barrels. It says U.S. forces generally try to turn small gas tankers around rather than use force, because stopping them can be risky.

The blockade appears more successful against crude. UANI says no crude tanker has escaped enforcement since July 12 and observed no crude loadings during September. Small LPG movements continued, however, with around nine tankers reportedly getting through since the blockade was reinstated.

UANI’s count is stark: since the blockade was reinstated in July, only around nine small tankers carrying Iranian LPG have successfully passed the blockade line. For crude oil, UANI says it has not tracked a single tanker that left the Gulf of Oman and avoided U.S. enforcement since July 12. The article therefore shows a narrow LPG escape route, not a broad reopening of Iranian exports.

The reported cargoes illustrate the scale of individual voyages. SOGL carried about 500,000 barrels of LPG to China. UANI said DANDELION was likely carrying 490,000 barrels after receiving LPG from SEA OPERA in a ship-to-ship transfer. Treasury separately said SOGL had transported more than two million barrels of Iranian propane and butane since September 2025.

Those figures should not be added into a confirmed blockade total. The article does not state the combined volume moved by all successful tankers. It does state that crude exports have effectively stopped, while limited LPG, naphtha, and fuel-oil loadings continued.

Iran-linked shadow-fleet tankers use concealment and handoffs to make enforcement harder. UANI senior analyst Jemima Shelley said small tankers switch off their AIS transponders, often use false flags to appear stateless, and travel through the Strait of Hormuz. AIS normally broadcasts a ship’s identity and position, so disabling it makes tracking more difficult.

The tankers may also move cargo between ships. UANI said SEA OPERA loaded at Assaluyeh, loitered in the Gulf of Oman for two months, and transferred about 490,000 barrels of LPG to DANDELION off Shinas, Oman, on October 26. DANDELION then appeared to be attempting the blockade crossing.

These tactics do not guarantee success. UANI says only around nine small LPG tankers passed since July, while no crude tanker was tracked escaping after July 12. The cargo transfers also create risks, especially with LPG, which helps explain why U.S. forces usually try to turn small gas tankers around rather than use force.

When tankers cannot export crude, Iran loses access to oil revenue. The article describes the blockade as starving Tehran of money and says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent linked that money to the regime’s ability to wage war in the region. UANI also says Iran’s oil in floating storage has fallen to between zero and seven million barrels since enforcement began.

The shipping backlog is visible along Iran’s coast. UANI counts at least 53 tankers laden with Iranian oil, mostly crude, and says only eight of 52 tracked loadings since July 14 came from Kharg Island, Iran’s main crude terminal. That suggests ships and cargo remain stuck rather than moving normally to buyers.

Empty tankers can be stranded too. UANI counts 20 Iran-flagged tankers loitering off Sri Lanka after offloading abroad, unable to sail home. Their position reflects the wider disruption: the blockade affects both loaded vessels waiting to export and empty vessels unable to complete their return journeys.

EOPL matters because it provides a place where Iran-linked tankers can wait, refuel, and obtain services during long, concealed voyages. UANI senior analyst Jemima Shelley called the Malaysian anchorage a key node in Iran’s oil trade to China. UANI also said Malaysian authorities appeared to be looking the other way, though the article reports that many vessels moved after recent Malaysian enforcement.

SOGL demonstrates the route. After loading Iranian LPG at Assaluyeh, it reached EOPL on September 16. UANI filmed the tanker taking on fuel and services there. SOGL then sailed north through the South China Sea and discharged at Xinzhou Port in China. About 20 Ghost Armada tankers remained at EOPL, with another 22 nearby.

China is the crucial end market. Shelley said China now takes almost 100 percent of Iran’s oil and LPG exports, compared with about 80 percent of liquid cargo exports in earlier years. The trade therefore depends on both a Malaysian staging point and Chinese ports.

Sanctions and blockades restrict energy trade in two connected ways. Sanctions target ships, owners, and cargo movements, making identified participants subject to U.S. penalties. A naval blockade adds physical enforcement by stopping vessels attempting to leave or enter the restricted route. Together, they raise the risks of shipping, support services, and payment for buyers and carriers.

The article gives SOGL as an example. Treasury sanctioned the tanker and its Marshall Islands-based owner after UANI filmed it at Malaysia’s EOPL anchorage. At sea, U.S. forces enforce the blockade by trying to turn vessels around. UANI says small tankers may disable AIS, use false flags, and transfer LPG to another ship before attempting the crossing.

The result is stronger control over crude than LPG. UANI tracked no crude tanker escaping since July 12, while around nine small LPG tankers passed. The article says stopping LPG tankers can be risky, so forces mostly turn them around rather than use force, leaving a limited route open.