Shipping industry seeks to combat dark oil transfers at sea

… In separate incidents in December and January, two vessels managed by Maersk Tankers almost took on cargoes of Iranian oil whose origin was concealed. The STS operations were halted before the cargoes were transferred after Maersk Tankers was alerted by U.S. pressure group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). UANI, which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic through ship and satellite tracking, said it was aware of multiple illicit oil transfers that affected shipping companies conducting regular trade. "Most often, by the time the STS gets to a large company, such as Maersk Tankers, the vessels have engaged in numerous STS in an attempt to mask the origin of the cargo," Claire Jungman of UANI said.