Aged Oil Tanker Suggests Iran Is Bringing Back Retired Ships

By Weilun Soon

Apr 29, 2026 (Bloomberg) –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.

Analysts from Vortexa and UANI said the vessel appears to have been re-mobilized after last delivering a cargo two to three years