The Bahamas-flagged, Qatar-owned liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Al Areesh appears to be approaching the U.S. naval blockade line at the entrance to the Gulf of Oman for a third time, after twice previously reversing course or loitering near the line without exiting the Gulf. The Al Areesh departed Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG terminal and transited the Strait of Hormuz outbound on July 29, utilizing Iran's traffic separation scheme, according to publicly available AIS tracking data from Its continued inability to proceed beyond the apparent blockade line is notable because the vessel does not appear to have loaded cargo in Iran or be associated with an Iranian port, and therefore does not appear to fit the publicly understood criteria for vessels subject to the U.S. naval blockade. It remains unclear whether the vessel's unusual movements are the result of instructions from its owner or operator, operational considerations, or direction from U.S. forces.

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Original Report

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The Bahamas-flagged, Qatar-owned liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Al Areesh appears to be approaching the U.S. naval blockade line at the entrance to the Gulf of Oman for a third time, after twice previously reversing course or loitering near the line without exiting the Gulf. The Al Areesh departed Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG terminal and transited the Strait of Hormuz outbound on July 29, utilizing Iran's traffic separation scheme, according to publicly available AIS tracking data from Its conti