Second zombie tanker crosses Hormuz as deception tactics spread
A vessel broadcasting the identity of a scrapped liquefied natural gas carrier crossed the Strait of Hormuz on March 20, becoming the first known zombie ship to use such a tactic in the contested waterway since the Middle East war began, Bloomberg first reported. Days later, a second zombie tanker followed, underscoring the lengths operators are willing to go to move cargo through one of the world's most strategically critical chokepoints.
The first vessel identified itself as the LNG Jamal, a Japanese-flagged LNG tanker with IMO number 9200316. However, market participants and port agents cited by Bloomberg said the real Jamal was beached at a ship-breaking yard in Alang, India, in October 2025 and has been under demolition since. Maritime intelligence firm Windward confirmed the IMO number corresponds to a vessel listed as "scrapped" in the Equasis maritime database.
The imposter's AIS signal first appeared on March 13 at anchorage in Hamriyah, United Arab Emirates, despite the real vessel's scrapped status. It then transited the strait, listed Sohar in Oman as its destination, and subsequently vanished from tracking systems off Iran's southeastern coast. Bloomberg said it could not immediately confirm the zombie vessel's true identity or type.
Three days later, a second ship identifying itself as the Nabiin, an Aframax tanker built in 2002 and sent to Bangladeshi breakers roughly five years ago, was spotted moving from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman fully laden with crude oil and declaring no destination. Lloyd's List Intelligence confirmed both zombie identities had been used by vessels transiting the strait over the same weekend.
The zombie transits reflect a broader pattern of selective passage through Hormuz since the war began around February 28. Iran has attacked approximately 20 vessels attempting the crossing, pushing oil prices above $100 a barrel and reducing traffic to near zero. Ships that have managed to pass appear either linked to Iran, operating with Tehran's tacit approval, or employing concealment tactics to avoid detection.
Windward reported that vessels connected to China or India, or those carrying agricultural goods bound for Iran, have been permitted through a controlled corridor managed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, running through Iranian territorial waters between Qeshm and Larak islands. Lloyd's List reported that at least two vessels paid for safe passage, with one fee totaling approximately $2 million.
Zombie ships, which assume the identities of decommissioned vessels to bypass automated tracking systems, have previously been used to evade sanctions. Their appearance at Hormuz during an active conflict represents a new application of the tactic. The use of an LNG tanker identity is particularly unusual, as such vessels are highly specialized and limited in number.
These incidents form part of a wider pattern of deceptive maritime practices that includes AIS blackouts, falsified flags of convenience, and identity swapping. As Windward concluded, the strait now functions as a controlled corridor rather than an open waterway, where traffic continues but only under opaque, defined conditions.
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