Oil Loading Resumes at Kharg Island's Western Terminal After 25-Day Halt

The western terminal at Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main crude export hub, resumed oil loading on Tuesday, 20 Mordad 1405 (August 12, 2026), after a complete 25-day halt. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing maritime intelligence firm Windward, satellite imagery shows a VLCC-class tanker roughly 333 meters long, anchored in the terminal's waiting area since 20 Tir 1405 (July 11), finally docked and began loading crude. UAE-based The National separately confirmed the same event and the same 25-day halt in its own report.

Separately, the northern Larak Island anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz recorded a marked rise in sanctioned tanker traffic: satellite images from August 12 show 35 tankers and cargo vessels moored there, up from 28 on August 10, with about 74 percent transiting with tracking systems switched off. The US naval blockade of Iranian ports, which had halted loading at Kharg for the first sustained stretch since the war began, continues with no clear diplomatic framework in sight.