China-Owned Oil Tanker Changes Name in Apparent Effort to Evade US Sanctions

China-Owned Oil Tanker Changes Name in Apparent Effort to Evade US Sanctions
People work at an offshore oil engineering platform in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province in this file photo. STR/AFP/Getty Images
Reuters
Updated:

SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR—While in the Indian Ocean heading toward the Strait of Malacca, the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Pacific Bravo went dark on June 5, shutting off the transponder that signals its position and direction to other ships, ship-tracking data showed.

A U.S. government official had warned ports in Asia not to allow the ship to dock, saying it was carrying Iranian crude in violation of U.S. economic sanctions. A VLCC typically transports about 2 million barrels of oil, worth about $120 million at current prices.