Shipowners have begun slipping vessels through the Strait of Hormuz under cover of darkness, a route Iran has effectively sealed after seizing foreign tankers. In recent weeks, small convoys—including large tankers carrying oil and LNG—have navigated the choke point with covert tactics such as extinguishing deck lights and disabling AIS transponders, despite heightened surveillance, they trust local pilots who chart every reef.

U.S. military escorts have shadowed the dark runs, providing protection against Iranian missiles and mines while tolerating the ships’ silence. Analysts say the limited flow offers a modest relief valve for global oil markets, preventing a full shutdown that could push Brent crude above $100 a barrel, and could sway OPEC output decisions globally soon.

The covert transits underscore how fragile the Gulf’s shipping corridor has become, forcing charterers to reassess route risk premiums and insurers to raise war‑risk coverage costs. While the dark passages cannot restore pre‑crisis volumes, they demonstrate that coordinated shipowner‑military actions can keep a trickle of energy supplies moving, limiting immediate price spikes for downstream refiners scrambling to secure feedstock Europe.