Energy

Aged Oil Tanker Suggests Iran Is Bringing Back Retired Ships

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.Source: Sentinel Hub

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By Weilun Soon

April 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM UTC

Updated on

April 29, 2026 at 10:03 AM UTC

A 29-year-old Iranian supertanker has appeared at Kharg Island after years off the radar, a sign that Tehran could be using retired ships to keep loading oil as its storage space runs out.

The Nasha, built in 1997, is an Iran-flagged very large crude carrier. It was docked on Sunday at Kharg Island, Iran’s biggest oil-export terminal, according to satellite images reviewed by advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran and Bloomberg News.