Jakarta [Indonesia], May 4 (ANI): An oil shipping monitoring firm has reported that a second Iranian Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) has successfully evaded the U.S. Navy and is currently navigating Indonesian waters toward the Riau Archipelago.
In a report shared on X, TankerTrackers.com said the vessel, identified as the DERYA, is traversing the Lombok Strait in Indonesia. This movement follows a failed attempt to deliver 1.88 million barrels of Iranian crude oil to India in mid-April.
Detailing the tanker’s movements, TankerTrackers.com said, “We then spotted her continuing south after that, at a time when her sister ships in the area were being redirected back to Iran by the U.S. Navy.” The monitoring group added that the ship is “currently underway to her rendezvous point in the Riau Archipelago.”
This development follows an earlier disclosure by the tracking firm that another Iranian supertanker, the HUGE, had also managed to bypass the U.S. Navy. That vessel, which is carrying 1.9 million barrels of oil, was similarly spotted in the Lombok Strait heading toward the Riau region.
According to data provided by the monitoring firm, approximately 25 tankers departed from Iran with crude oil during April. Within this fleet, the U.S. Navy successfully redirected seven vessels back to Iranian ports, while U.S. forces seized another two tankers.
The reporting from TankerTrackers.com suggests that the remaining vessels from the April departures have either reached their intended destinations or arrived at their designated rendezvous points. This includes the National Iranian Tanker Company’s vessel HUGE, which successfully bypassed the U.S. Navy to reach the Asia-Pacific region.
Transporting more than 1.9 million barrels of crude oil, with an estimated value of nearly $220 million, the HUGE was last spotted off the coast of Sri Lanka more than a week ago. The monitoring firm noted that the vessel had not transmitted on the Automatic Identification System since March 20, following its departure from the Strait of Malacca for Iran.
These findings coincide with claims by Iranian state media on April 29 that at least 52 ships had successfully breached the American blockade. Despite these reported breaches, Al Jazeera reported that U.S. officials contend the blockade is proving effective and has resulted in billions of dollars in lost revenue for Tehran.
Washington maintains that Iran is currently unable to export oil and will be forced to store its supplies until storage capacity is exhausted and production is halted.
Amid these tensions over oil exports, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a new initiative titled “Project Freedom” to assist commercial vessels currently trapped in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday (local time), Trump said various nations had requested American assistance to ensure their ships could safely navigate out of the strategic waterway.
Trump said these requests came from “countries from all over the world, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly and violently for all to see.”
He said these nations had asked whether the United States could “help free up their ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with.”
Asserting that the U.S. would step in to guarantee safe passage, Trump said the move was “for the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States.”
He added that Washington has informed these nations that American forces “will guide their ships safely out of these restricted waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”
Trump emphasized that the operation focuses on ships from regions “that are not in any way involved with what is currently taking place in the Middle East.”
He said he had instructed his representatives to convey that the U.S. “will use best efforts to get their ships and crews safely out of the Strait.”
Once these vessels have cleared the area, Trump said they are expected to stay away for the foreseeable future, noting that “they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation and everything else.”
According to Trump, “Project Freedom” is scheduled to commence on Monday morning (Middle East time).
He described the initiative as a way to “free up people, companies, and countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong” and referred to the crews as “victims of circumstance.”
Calling the mission a “humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern countries, but in particular, the country of Iran,” Trump highlighted deteriorating conditions aboard the vessels.
“Many of these ships are running low on food and everything else necessary for large-scale crews to stay on board in a healthy and sanitary manner,” he said.
However, Trump warned that any interference with the mission would be met with force.
The maritime initiative comes as Trump said U.S. officials are engaged in “very positive discussions” with Tehran, suggesting the talks “could lead to something very positive for all,” even as he rejected Iran’s latest proposal as “not acceptable.”
In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran is reviewing Washington’s reply to its proposal.
According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the proposal seeks an end to hostilities on multiple fronts, including Lebanon, while calling for the withdrawal of U.S. forces near Iran, the release of frozen assets, and the lifting of sanctions.
While the United States has advocated for a two-month ceasefire, Iran is reportedly pushing for a shorter 30-day window, prioritizing a permanent end to the conflict over a temporary truce. (ANI)
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