The CELESTIAL SEA (IMO 9397030), an oil tanker flagged in Iran and under U.S. sanctions, was moving in circles in the Gulf of Oman on October 14 and 15, 2026, for 4.3 hours at a speed between 0 to 1.4 knots, 0.65 nautical miles from the 2Africa corridor. On October 15, this ship suddenly disappeared in the 2Africa and Bay of Bengal Gateway (BBG) corridors and remained without any signal for 86 hours.
Impact on Submarine Networks
This incident occurs while 7 submarine cable systems, including 2Africa, BBG, and Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), pass through this area. These cables establish communications between Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, and Europe. Damage to this infrastructure could have widespread effects beyond the Gulf of Oman.
Read more: Supply Chain Analysis in China and Southeast Asia by Claudia Baral
After 86 hours, the CELESTIAL SEA suddenly resumed signaling and returned just 9 nautical miles from where it disappeared. The ship was empty during the entire time. On the other hand, a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) also set sail for Malaysia on October 23, 2026, having loaded 494,500 barrels of LPG. After reducing its speed to 3 knots for a while, this ship suddenly returned towards Oman and remained without a signal for 5 days.
Ships Linked to Iranian Oil Trade
All these ships are part of Iran's sanctioned oil trade. The CELESTIAL SEA was sanctioned in April 2025 as part of the fleet of an operator based in the United Arab Emirates. This operator was transporting oil for the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and in 2023 for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Additionally, a VLCC flagged in Iran is managed by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and was sanctioned in 2020 due to financing the Quds Force.
On October 26, a VLCC also suddenly disappeared for 10 days in Iran's economic zone between Jask and Chabahar. This ship frequently turned off its signal and remained without a signal for 33 hours from October 17. Moreover, on October 18, this ship met another ship flagged in Iran that had no IMO number and has been completely off since October 26.
Read more: Alireza Avani Explained the Gas Theft Incident in Sarakhsar · Oil Prices Rise to Near Highest Level in Six Months Following U.S. Military Threats Against Iran
