Syria bound oil tanker with Iran crude U turns after al-Assad’s downfall

An oil tanker laden with Iranian crude and heading toward Syria made a U-turn after the regime of Bashar al-Assad was toppled, according to Vortexa Ltd. and ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

Suezmax Lotus — a sanctioned Iranian vessel — had been sailing toward Syria’s Baniyas oil refinery as recently as Sunday, Vortexa data show. Just before the tanker was to transit through the Suez Canal, it turned and is now heading south, according to ship-tracking data.

The US has previously sanctioned entities and ships that it claimed sold Iranian oil to Syria. The change of direction by Lotus was first reported by TankerTrackers.com, an independent online service that tracks and reports dark-fleet activity.