Signal of scrapped tanker Pablo reappears in transfer with Venezuelan state tanker

The transponder signal of the Pablo, a tanker sent for scrap after an explosion off Malaysia in May 2023, came back to life in the Gulf of Guinea in October, Bloomberg reports, citing S&P Global Commodity Insights, Kpler and Equasis. According to S&P, the data showed the Pablo conducting a ship-to-ship transfer with the Eos, a Panama-flagged Aframax owned by US-sanctioned Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. Bloomberg could not verify the transfer independently. The report says signals from scrapped ships are used by dark-fleet tankers to disguise their identities. Pablo's registered owner did not respond to requests for comment.

This is a summary in our own words of the linked reporting. Allegations are those of the source. How we report.