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Photo: Shutterstock/Vallehr Tanker Congestion Shunts Vital Oil Transfers Farther From Hormuz (https://gcaptain.com/author/bloomberg/) Bloomberg Total Views: 411   October 1, 2026   By Prejula Prem  Oct 1, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Persian Gulf oil producers are shifting critical (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-27/hormuz-oil-flows-rising-as-gulf-giants-ramp-up-accelerates) cargo transfer operations even farther out of the war-hit region as waters just outside the Strait of Hormuz become congested with tankers.  It’s another illustration of the maritime convulsions caused by the war, with delayed or diverted shipments helping to drive the cost of (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-14/oil-tankers-earn-1-million-a-day-as-war-leaves-ship-shortage) hiring a supertanker to above $1 million a day, adding to price pressures on crude and refined fuels. The Gulf of Kutch, off the coast of Gujarat in western India, is emerging as an alternative waypoint for transferring Persian Gulf cargoes onto vessels that will deliver them to buyers around the world, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and consultant Vortexa. Two supertankers recently conducted ship-to-ship transfers — also known as STS — onto other very large crude carriers in the Gulf of Kutch, the data show. The receiving vessels are now headed to East Asia, signaling Singapore and South Korea.  These are the first eastbound Gulf crude cargo transfers observed in the area since the Iran war began. At least two more VLCCs are currently performing STS transfers in the region, the data show.  Ever since the Iran war constricted flows through the strait seven months ago, key Middle East exporters have partially sustained their exports by covertly shuttling cargoes through the choke-point, then decanting them onto other vessels in safer areas near Oman or the United Arab Emirates. These evasive routes have grown increasingly crowded, straining the locally-available infrastructure for STS transfers. The problem has been exacerbated in recent weeks as Yemen’s Houthi rebels menace Saudi Arabia’s back-up export route through the Red Sea, forcing the kingdom to ship (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-24/saudis-gulf-oil-surge-drives-exports-to-highest-since-war-began) greater volumes through Hormuz.  The region’s capacity for such procedures may have reached its limit, Vortexa estimates. The time it takes to complete an STS transfer from a fully-laden VLCC has grown to five or six days, according to the consultant.  This bottleneck has become the main source of shipping delays in the area, Emma Li, Vortexa’s lead China oil market analyst, said in a report last week.  Transfers off India’s west coast could also provide an additional security advantage, reducing the risk of vessels being caught in attacks that have sporadically targeted ships sailing through Hormuz. However, Iranian officials warned last week that the war could expand toward the Indian Ocean. © 2026 Bloomberg L.P. 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September 29, 2026 Total Views: 1439      (https://gcaptain.com/seized-iranian-oil-tankers-head-toward-u-s-with-600-million-cargo/) (U.S. forces board the stateless tanker Tifani (IMO: 9273337) without incident inside the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility.)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/featured/) Featured  (https://gcaptain.com/seized-iranian-oil-tankers-head-toward-u-s-with-600-million-cargo/) Seized Iranian Oil Tankers Head Toward U.S. With $600 Million Cargo  Two of the Iran-linked oil supertankers interdicted by American naval forces early in the war are just weeks away from reaching the US, where authorities have pledged to seize the vessels and millions of dollars worth of crude that they’re transporting. September 25, 2026 Total Views: 9197      (https://gcaptain.com/gulf-of-oman-ship-to-ship-oil-transfers-reach-limit-as-saudi-exports-surge/) (A satellite image of side-by-side ships at sea, off the coast of Sohar)    (https://gcaptain.com/category/news/) News  (https://gcaptain.com/gulf-of-oman-ship-to-ship-oil-transfers-reach-limit-as-saudi-exports-surge/) Gulf of Oman Ship-to-ship Oil Transfers Reach Limit as Saudi Exports Surge  Ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman for Middle Eastern oil from inside the Strait of Hormuz have reached their limits after Saudi Arabia diverted exports from the Red Sea, adding to shipments from other producers, trade sources and analysts said. 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