As international sanctions prohibit imports of crude
oil from the Islamic Republic of Iran, top importers
such as China, India and the Republic of Korea are
forced to reduce their import volumes to qualify for
the 180-day waiver which allows these countries to
continue importing Iranian crude oil (United States
Institute of Peace, 2012). Consequently, the routing of
tanker trade has shifted as more Iranian cargo travels
eastward to Asia and as Europe replaces Iranian
exports by shipments from the Russian Federation and
West Africa (Danish Ship Finance, 2013). This trend is
likely to intensify with the duration of the sanctions.