OREANDA-NEWS. Two Iranian very large crude carriers (VLCCs), belonging to state-owned NITC, are heading west from Europe across the Atlantic ocean.

The VLCC the Huge unloaded around 2.1mn bl of crude at the Shell oil terminal in Rotterdam and left the port at around 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT). It is signalling its destination as the Mexican Cayo Arcas terminal operated by state owned Pemex. The Huge arrived at Rotterdam on 10 February and was the first Iran-owned VLCC to dock in the EU, following the lifting of US and EU nuclear-related sanctions at the start of 2016.

The Huge was provisionally booked by ST Shipping - Glencore's shipping arm - on the UK continent to east Asia route loading 13 February. It is not clear if or when that deal was failed.

A second NITC VLCC the Snow has another 2mn bl on board and had also been signalling arrival at Rotterdam, originally slated for 11 February. But instead it anchored offshore Falmouth in the south west of the UK on 12 February and has now begun heading westwards still fully-laden. It has yet to signal a new destination.

The Iranian fleet's increasing activity in European waters comes after managing director of the NITC and former NIOC executive Cirrus Kianersi said the company's tankers now have full reinsurance coverage to move in and out of European terminals. A journey to load crude at a Mexican terminal would mark a new destination for a vessel from the NITC fleet post-sanctions.