Two Iranian oil tankers change destination to Pakistan, suspected temporary rerouting for risk avoidance

(1) Vessel tracking data shows that the oil tankers "Rani" and "Amil," carrying a combined total of 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, changed their destination signal to Karachi, Pakistan on Tuesday. This move is relatively rare and may indicate that, after the US resumed offshore blockades, the ships are seeking a relatively safe location to monitor the situation. (2) However, it is unlikely that these two oil tankers will actually unload their cargo in Pakistan, as doing so would put Pakistan at risk of violating US sanctions. Kpler data shows that Pakistan has not imported Iranian crude oil for at least ten years. (3) According to a senior market analyst at Vortexa, the vessels may choose to sail closer to Pakistan to avoid US Navy ships and mark Karachi as a transit destination, which is more likely a temporary strategic adjustment rather than a final unloading destination.