Iranian Tanker Breaks Through Hormuz Blockade, Detected in Indonesia's Lombok Strait
An Iranian giant oil tanker has reportedly succeeded in escaping the tight blockade by the United States Navy surrounding Middle Eastern waters. The ship, loaded with millions of barrels of crude oil, has now been detected entering Indonesian territorial waters.
Citing a report from Daily Beirut referencing the TankerTrackers ship tracking website, the tanker is carrying a cargo of oil valued at US$220 million (Rp3.79 trillion). The vessel managed to deceive the close surveillance of the US combat fleet and is heading towards East Asia.
“A VLCC supertanker owned by the National Iranian Oil Company (NITC), carrying more than 1.9 million barrels of crude oil (estimated at US$220 million), has successfully avoided the US Navy and reached the Far East,” the official TankerTrackers account wrote on the X platform on Sunday (03/05/2026).
This report was also featured by Al-Jazeera. The giant ship, identified as “HUGE” (ID: 9357183), was reported to have temporarily disappeared from radar monitoring before reappearing in southern Indonesian waters.
Based on maritime tracking data, the ship was last seen off the coast of Sri Lanka more than a week ago. Currently, the massive crude oil tanker is moving through Indonesia’s Lombok Strait.
“The ship is reported to be continuing towards the Riau Islands as part of its route,” the report stated.
The tanker’s escape was remarkably meticulous, achieved by disabling its automatic tracking system to avoid enemy detection. Maritime tracking information indicates that the tanker has not transmitted an Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal since 20 March, precisely when it left the Malacca Strait heading to Iran before turning back east.
The success of the “HUGE” in breaking through the US naval blockade represents a severe blow to Washington’s efforts to cut off Iran’s energy export flows. Amid the massive blockade by the US Navy, the escape of nearly 2 million barrels of oil cargo reveals gaps in the maritime surveillance implemented during the ongoing conflict.