‘Zombie Tankers’ Cross Hormuz Despite Being Scrapped Years Ago

COLOMBO (News 1st); An oil tanker that appears to have already been scrapped has signalled that it transited the Strait of Hormuz, marking the second case of a so-called “zombie ship” crossing the strategic waterway in recent days, according to NDTV.

The vessel, identifying itself as Nabiin, was located in the Persian Gulf on Sunday evening based on ship-tracking data and by Monday morning appeared in the Gulf of Oman.

However, records compiled by Bloomberg News show that the Aframax tanker, built in 2002, was sent to ship-breaking yards in Bangladesh five years ago.

The ship posing as Nabiin is believed to be a zombie tanker, a vessel that assumes the identity of a legitimate ship that has already been scrapped.

The incident follows a similar case involving a vessel identifying itself as a liquefied natural gas carrier named Jamal, which was recorded as having been beached at an Indian demolition yard last year but crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

Bloomberg News said it could not immediately confirm the true identity of the ship posing as Nabiin, including whether it is in fact an oil tanker.

The cases of Nabiin and Jamal highlight the lengths to which shipowners appear to be going to move cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the Middle East war began at the end of February.

US President Donald Trump issued a two-day deadline late on Saturday in the United States, warning Iran to reopen the strait or risk having its power plants bombed. Tehran has said it would completely close Hormuz should such attacks occur.

So far, ships that have managed to pass through the strait appear to be linked to Iran or to have obtained Tehran’s approval for passage. Other vessels have reportedly turned off their geolocation signals to avoid tracking.

Ship-tracking data show that the vessel posing as Nabiin entered the Persian Gulf hours before the war broke out, listing Iraq’s Khor Al Zubair as its destination. It remained within the gulf until exiting, although its precise movements remain unclear due to heavy electronic interference affecting ships’ transmission signals.

After leaving the gulf on Sunday, the vessel indicated that it was fully laden, based on draft readings, and showed no clear destination.

According to the international shipping database Equasis, Muhit Maritime FZE and Sagitta Maritime Co Ltd, both based in Dubai, are listed as Nabiin’s manager and owner respectively. The two companies share the same contact details. Telephone calls to the companies did not connect, and emails were returned undelivered, reported NDTV.