Iran turns to crude exports via Jask terminal amid Hormuz disruptions

Iran is turning to its only crude loading terminal outside the Persian Gulf to help sustain seaborne exports amid a US blockade of its ports and threats to its oil hub at Kharg Island, according to satellite imagery.

The shift to loading crude at Iran's Jask terminal in the Gulf of Oman highlights Tehran's efforts to bypass the Strait of Hormuz -- the choke point for about one-fifth of the world's seaborne crude -- at a time when Iranian barrels are increasingly reliant on obscured trade flows to maintain exports.

Tankers were observed docked at the offshore single point mooring buoy at Jask at least six times between March and July, according to imagery from the EU's Sentinel-2 satellite. The sightings included at least two loadings in both June and July, one in May and one in March. A crude export loading from Jask was first observed in September 2024. However, since then, very few tankers have called at the terminal, and none were seen in January or February of this year, the images showed.

The terminal, which became operational in 2021, is supplied by a 1,000-km pipeline running from the Goureh terminal in Bushehr province to storage tanks at Jask in Hormuzgan province. The facility's initial SPM has a loading capacity of 1 million barrels/day, and Iran has said it plans to expand the terminal with two additional SPMs.

Iran's crude exports averaged 687,500 b/d in July, all sourced from Iranian anchorages or other unidentified locations, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea. The data reflects how Iranian barrels increasingly rely on obscured trade flows, with tankers often switching off their location devices to avoid detection.

"Basically, the Jask oil terminal was created to bring Iran an outlet outside the Strait of Hormuz, and now they are using it," said Iman Nasseri, senior vice president, Middle East and Asia, at energy consultancy FGE NexantECA. "They loaded a couple of cargoes a couple of years ago, and then they started using it again, especially this year, post-war."

Vessel traffic

The satellite imagery also showed a sharp increase in vessel traffic in the Gulf of Oman, with a number of tankers moored close to or passing the Jask terminal. The Sentinel-2 satellite passes over the area every few days rather than providing continuous coverage, meaning some sightings may have involved the same vessel.

A sanctioned tanker arrived at Jask on Aug. 2, marking the fourth vessel flagged as destined for the oil terminal since the US and Israel went to war with Iran in late February, according to CAS.

The US-sanctioned Azhin was anchored off Jask on Aug. 5, after the Iran-flagged tanker Dore arrived in March and Iran's Vernon tanker touched base in May, CAS data showed. The fourth ship, the sanctioned Stark I, arrived unladen at Jask on Aug. 2 for possible loading, according to CAS.

US Marines conducted a verification boarding aboard the M/T Wen Yao, now operating as Azhin, in the Gulf of Oman on July 16, according to US Central Command. The ship was destined for Jask, CAS data showed.

"The ship was allowed to proceed with its journey after US forces completed the boarding days later," US Central Command spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

Crude exports from the terminal in March were estimated at 64,600 b/d -- the first recorded at the site, according to CAS. Shipments have continued each month through July, with additional loadings scheduled for August, according to Kpler shipping data.

Even Iranian media outlets have noted the increased activity at Jask.

Iran implemented an emergency plan to increase oil flows from Goureh, on the Persian Gulf, to Jask in response to the war, the official news agency IRNA reported June 20, citing Nasrollah Zarei, managing director of Petroleum Engineering and Development Co. The plan was also intended to provide an alternative to Kharg Island, through which Iran typically exports most of its crude.

On May 19, Fars news agency reported that Iran had loaded oil from Jask on May 18, without providing more specific about its significance.

The oil ministry and National Iranian Oil Co. declined to comment on the matter when asked by Platts on July 28.