An Iranian very large crude carrier (VLCC) named 'Huge', owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company, has reportedly reached the Asia-Pacific region carrying over 1.9 million barrels of crude oil worth about 220 million US dollars. According to vessel tracking service Trackers.com, the ship evaded a US naval blockade and was last seen near Sri Lanka a week ago before moving through Indonesia’s Lombok Strait toward the Riau Islands.

Trackers.com reported that the vessel had turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) since departing the Malacca Strait for Iran on March 20. The US Navy had announced a blockade of Iranian ports on April 13, when the tanker was still within Iranian waters. Iranian state media previously claimed that at least 52 Iranian ships had successfully bypassed the blockade, while US military sources stated that about 41 Iran-linked vessels had been forced to alter their routes.

US officials maintain that the blockade is effective, asserting that Iran is losing significant revenue and may soon face storage limits that could halt production.