Tankers Emerge from Dark Mode amid Tentative Hormuz Reopening

AI Summary

A tentative reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is underway as oil tankers have begun broadcasting positions after a period of operating in 'dark mode' to evade sanctions. The memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran has eased tensions allowing more transparent shipping activity through this key chokepoint.

A growing number of oil tankers have been broadcasting their position and intention to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in recent hours, in a sign that a tentative recovery of traffic through the chokepoint is underway. Before the U.S. and Iran signed the memorandum of understanding to negotiate a peace deal, most tankers were moving through and around the Strait of Hormuz in the so-called dark mode, with transponders and AIS positioning switched off. Once the hallmark of Iran’s sanction-evading tactics, dark mode has become mainstream in…