Iran's ghost ship: Oil tanker 'Nasha' appears for first time in years

ALBAWABA - The famous Iranian oil tanker, M/T Nasha, reappeared near Kharg Island after years of disappearing from the maritime scene. 

According to sources and experts, this indicates that Iran may be resorting to its older vessels to continue its oil loading operations, given its dwindling storage capacity.

The ship, which appeared in a satellite image taken on April 26, in the lower left corner of Kharg Island, was identified as the Nasha by the organization United Against Nuclear Iran.

The Sentinel Hub and Bloomberg also confirmed this information based on satellite imagery analysis.

^{The vessel seen in this satellite image taken on April 26 in the lower-left corner of Kharg Island has been identified as Nasha by United Against Nuclear Iran. (Photo by Sentinel Hub)}

According to Bloomberg, the old vessel was spotted docked at Kharg Island, Iran’s largest oil export port, on Sunday, according to satellite images reviewed by United Against Nuclear Iran and the agency.

What to know about the Nasha oil tanker:

The M/T Nasha is a very large crude carrier (VLCC) built in 1996 and sailing under the Iranian flag. Measuring over 330 metres in length, the vessel had remained largely inactive for years before being brought back into service.