Tanker with 2 million barrels of Iranian oil disappears near Chinese refinery, reappears 3 days later: WSJ reveals details

A tanker loaded with 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil disappeared from tracking systems for three days as it approached a major Chinese refinery, only to reappear with a draft indicating its cargo had been discharged. The Wall Street Journal's investigation revealed the vessel, identified as the Seeker 8, had sailed towards the port of Hengli Group, a private petrochemical giant in China's Liaoning province.

“

The four of us - my husband, our two children, and I were on the bed

Hengli Group, a conglomerate with over 300,000 employees and annual revenues exceeding $100 billion, is known for its petrochemical, textile, and shipbuilding businesses. Its refining operations were placed on the U.S. sanctions list in April for procuring oil subject to American sanctions against Iran.

The Seeker 8 reportedly received its crude cargo off the Iranian coast in early January. It then switched off its tracking signal on January 27 as it neared Hengli's port on Changxing Island, resuming transmission only on January 30. The dramatic change in its draft, a decrease of nearly 9 meters, suggests a full cargo discharge. This vessel was later sanctioned by the U.S. in April and subsequently sailed under a new name, Ruby, after impersonating a scrapped ship.

“

The bed almost flipped over. Tables and all the things on the tables and on top of the cupboards all fell and scattered everywhere. We were panicking.

Despite U.S. sanctions on Hengli's refining arm, the group's other businesses remain unaffected. Its shipbuilding division recently secured over $2 billion in oil tanker construction contracts from European clients, with its order book extending to 2030.

“

I just prayed: 'God, if you still give us the chance to live, please open a way for us'. Thank God, he has given us another chance to live.

China has become a crucial market for Iranian oil, importing over $30 billion worth last year and absorbing a significant portion of its exports. Chinese independent refineries, known as "teapots," are able to purchase sanctioned Iranian crude at lower prices. In May, China's Ministry of Commerce publicly urged companies not to comply with U.S. sanctions.

“

So, we all started to panic; some people jumped out of windows, and some ran outside. Things were falling everywhere, so our main priority at that moment was how to evacuate the patients and get them out of that room.