Iran turns off the tracking systems on their tankers

[VaticanAssassin]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/13/us-iran-oil-tracking-idUSBRE83C0TS20120413


Shit! With out those there is no way in the world we could find out were a 1000ft long, and 200ft wide ship is heading

Iran is concealing the destination of its oil sales by disabling tracking systems aboard its tanker fleet, making it difficult to assess how much crude Tehran is exporting as it seeks to counter Western sanctions aimed at cutting its oil revenues.

Most of Iran's 39-strong fleet of tankers is now "off-radar" after Tehran ordered captains in the National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC) to switch off the black box transponders that are used in the shipping industry to monitor vessel movements, oil industry, trading and shipping sources said

 

[Ishmael]

Yup.

Lessee, how does that work?

Oh yeah, bring up the satellite pix and subtract out all the vessels that DO have the transponders on. We'll never find those bastards. *chuckle*

Ishmael

 

[CandiCame]

Before I read this, I thought of "tracker" more in a scenerio like Luke flying across the Death Star. I thought it was some sort of aiming system, and Iranians had developed the force and no longer needed it.

Why must you give me hope and then snatch it away?

 

[koalabear]

No problem, they didn't find the led shoelaces tied on the stern.

 

[chillywilly2]

*covering my eyes* Ha Ha...You can't seee meee

 

[Very_Bad_Man]

So this means nobody will see them when they sink HMMMMMMMMM

 

[Ishmael]

It's when those morons do things like this that allows the mind to run wild.

Are the Iranians self-insured? I have to believe that Lloyds is going to drop coverage as soon as those transponders were turned off.

Soooooooo, if those tankers were to just disappear who'd go looking for them?

Ishmael

 

[SuprSalor]

While the Iranians can turn off their AIS system in their own and international waters, Any port they sail to will require that they be turned on and updated. Just proves them people ain't to bright..

 

[Colonel Hogan]

While the Iranians can turn off their AIS system in their own and international waters, Any port they sail to will require that they be turned on and updated. Just proves them people ain't to bright..

Plus, the ports are what we would have under surveillance anyway. There is not a whole lot intelligence gained by looking at a ship sitting in the middle of an ocean, unless it happens to be a naval vessel.

 

[Very_Bad_Man]

While the Iranians can turn off their AIS system in their own and international waters, Any port they sail to will require that they be turned on and updated. Just proves them people ain't to bright..

You are missing the point. The countries buying from Iran are doing so in violation of sanctions and want to do it on the downlow so they are not penalized by those sanctions so transponders will stay turned off.

 

[VaticanAssassin]

You are missing the point. The countries buying from Iran are doing so in violation of sanctions and want to do it on the downlow so they are not penalized by those sanctions so transponders will stay turned off.

China would never do that

 

[chillywilly2]

China would never do that

Yeah...they would just buy from Canada instead