A ship named Jamal is believed to have crossed the Strait of Hormuz - an area tightly controlled by Iran - by "fake" a damaged ship and turning off tracking signals, according to data from Bloomberg.
This ship first appeared on radar on March 13 in the Gulf of Oman, but the previous history of movement was completely "white". Immediately after that, Jamal disappeared from the global maritime tracking system, raising suspicions about a deliberately concealed journey.
It was not until March 20 that the ship reactivated its positioning signal when it was deep into the Persian Gulf - that is, it had crossed the blockade area. The last location recorded was off the southeast coast of Iran.
Notably, Jamal is believed to be disguised as a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker - a type of ship that is generally less suspected in the context of military tensions.
This detail makes analysts believe that this is not just a single action, but could be a "model scenario" for ships to find ways to circumvent control orders at the world's most important energy bottleneck.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital transportation route for the global energy market, where about 20% of world oil exports pass through every day. Any disruption here could lead to a domino effect on oil prices and supply chains.
Tensions in the region have escalated since the US and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran on February 28. Airstrikes have hit many targets, including the capital Tehran. Washington declared actions to prevent missile and nuclear threats from Tehran.
In response, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a large-scale operation, attacking Israel and a series of targets in Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Qatar, UAE or Saudi Arabia.
On March 2, an IRGC general warned that the Strait of Hormuz could be completely closed to ships, in response to military actions by the US and Israel.
However, just a few days later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi affirmed that this route has not been officially blocked, although admitting that many ships have avoided passing due to concerns about the risk of being attacked from both sides.
