U.S. Military Oversees 92 Oil Transfers in Gulf of Oman Since Early May

The United States military has overseen at least 92 secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Gulf of Oman since early May 2026, using aerial and water drones plus helicopters to guide tankers to transfer points. Satellite images reviewed by Reuters showed 17 pairs of ships conducting simultaneous transfers at two sites as recently as June 11.

One site lies off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates; the other sits off Oman’s port of Sohar.

On June 9, six pairs of tankers clustered off Sohar the same day an Apache helicopter involved in the mission was downed by Iran, U.S. officials said. The transfers move crude, condensate and petroleum products from smaller tankers that transit the Strait of Hormuz to Very Large Crude Carriers waiting outside Iranian-controlled waters.

Each transfer takes between 24 and 40 hours. Participating tankers turn off transponders and dim lights during the operation.

Reuters calculated that at least 90 million barrels have moved through the network since early May. The pre-war daily average through the strait was about 20 million barrels. Greece-based Dynacom Tankers Management is among the international operators receiving oil.

Emirati exports form a substantial share of the cargoes. 3 million barrels were transferred from a Kuwait Oil Tanker Company vessel off Sohar; the receiving ship Sea Ruby was later tracked off India’s southwest coast bound for China.

U.S. Defense official stated that no Central Command forces are taking part in an offshore ship-to-ship oil transfer operation. The White House referred questions to Centcom. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a new Iranian body, now manages traffic through the waterway.