Two of the world’s most sanctioned crude export pipelines are facing their toughest enforcement pressure yet, according to a new intelligence briefing from Windward. Iran’s Kharg Island terminal complex has gone completely quiet, while Russia has dispatched an unprecedented convoy of shadow fleet tankers through Arctic waters to dodge European naval patrols.
Kharg Island’s Export Standstill
According to Windward, all three export terminals at Kharg Island have been empty for extended stretches, with the western terminal idle for 22 consecutive days since July 18, the LPG terminal for 13 days since July 27, and the eastern terminal for 10 days since July 30. Vortexa trade data cited by Windward shows zero recorded departures from Kharg between July 31 and August 9.
Windward notes that 17 dark, stationary tankers remain in the waiting area near Kharg, consistent with a blockade-driven export halt under renewed U.S. naval pressure. The report adds that Financial Times reporting via Iran International corroborates the assessment, confirming no tankers have loaded at Kharg for at least a week.
Russia’s Arctic Workaround
On the Russian side, Windward reports that eight sanctioned shadow fleet tankers are coordinating passage through the Northern Sea Route toward the Laptev Sea, a scale of coordinated Arctic transit with no precedent in 2025 tracking data compiled by the Center for High North Logistics. The convoy includes four Russia-flagged Aframax tankers, three Russia-flagged Medium Range tankers, and one Oman-flagged Suezmax, carrying crude loaded at Murmansk and Primorsk, per Vortexa cargo data referenced by Windward.
Windward links the maneuver to a broader Kremlin shift away from falsely flagged vessels, noting that no falsely flagged tankers loaded Russian oil in July for the first time on record, following the UK’s boarding and seizure of the tanker SMYRTOS in the English Channel in June. The report also states that Russian diesel exports collapsed 83% in July to roughly 150,000 barrels per day, down from a 2025 average near 900,000 barrels per day, and that Russia has begun reflagging tankers to Equatorial Guinea, with 49 vessels moved to that registry in six months.
Does This Matter to You?
Windward’s findings point to continued volatility in sanctioned crude flows out of both Iran and Russia, with enforcement pressure pushing shipments toward less-monitored routing rather than eliminating them. The report also flags elevated small-craft activity in the Strait of Hormuz and continuing dark vessel movements at Yanbu and near Larak Island, alongside Chinese-linked vessels continuing to transit the Houthi blockade zone unharmed after Saudi port calls. The direct operational implications for specific trading, chartering, or bunkering decisions are not detailed in the source material.
Gulf Bunkering does not provide operational or security guidance. This article is for informational purposes only. Operators should consult flag state authorities, P&I clubs, and relevant advisories for decisions relating to transit planning.
Sources: Windward
