A ship identified as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier ‘Jamal’ exited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. The vessel left the strait that morning, ship-tracking data showed. However, the same ship was also recorded as having been at an Indian demolition yard in October last year, where it is being broken up. The ship claiming to be Jamal is likely a zombie vessel that takes on identity of a scrapped and legitimate ship. This has happened for the first time in the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the war. Due to Iranian attacks and threats, traffic is now at a virtual standstill. The identity of the ship could not be confirmed immediately and if it was a LNG carrier or some other type of vessel.
A zombie ship is a vessel that uses the identity (name, ID, tracking data) of a ship that has already been scrapped, decommissioned, or no longer exists. Ships generally do this to avoid detection and sanctions. To avoid detection they generally change their identity, turn off tracking systems or pretend to be a harmless or known vessel. This helps them to sneak in through restricted zones and avoid being targeted.
Jamal’s doppelganger began signalling its assumed identity last week, and its information was not known before that. It emerged for the very first time on March 13, the vessel indicated its location in Gulf of Oman and Sohar in Oman as its destination. Following this, it stopped signalling and went dark. It then emerged on March 20 in the Persian Gulf near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. The LNG dark trade has been largely limited to the sale of Russian gas to China. Currently, some ships have turned off their transmission signals for security due to heightened tensions in the Middle East after crossing the strait.
