According to ship tracking data compiled, the Andria Victory is sailing in the northern Gulf and has listed Iran's Bandar Imam Khomeini as its destination. Data show that ships attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in May were fully loaded and transported fuel to Iran.
This year's oil tanker bombings have exacerbated tensions in the Gulf, as the United States and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of targeting ships and putting oil at risk. Iran denied involvement in the attack. Iran and European countries have taken a stand on the Islamic Republic's adherence to the 2015 nuclear agreement and the seizure of a batch of Iranian crude oil by British forces.
The Norwegian-flagged Andrea Victory was one of four vessels damaged by explosions off the UAE port of Fujairah in May. Two other tankers were bombed close to Iranian territorial waters in June. Fujairah, the Gulf's main oil-trading hub, sits just outside the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the entrance to the Gulf.
The Andrea Victory was repaired in Dubai's Port Rashid.
The vessel's operations have returned to "business as usual," said Dustin Eno, a crisis response manager at Navigate PR, which works on behalf of the ship's manager Thome Group. Eno, who spoke by phone on July 1, declined to comment on where the ship was headed. Representatives for the vessel couldn't immediately be reached Sunday.
US sanctions prohibit trade in Iranian oil and refined products. Iran has in the past imported refined fuels to meet domestic demand, even as it expands its own refining capacity.
