The US Treasury department has sanctioned 21 ships, including a VLCC that collided with a Hafnia vessel, in the latest effort to put pressure on the dark fleet of tankers serving Iran.
The agency couched the move as a response to Iran’s 1 October missile attack on Israel and what it described as “nuclear escalations” by Tehran.
Treasury accused Iran of using petroleum revenue to fund its nuclear programme, develop advanced weapons and support proxy groups throughout the Middle East.
Bradley Smith, Treasury’s acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said those moves risk further escalation in the region.
“The US remains committed to disrupting the shadow fleet of vessels and operators that facilitate these illicit activities, using the full range of our tools and authorities,” he said in the announcement.
The US also blacklisted 14 companies based or registered in Hong Kong, Ukraine, India, the Marshall Islands, China, Pakistan, Liberia, Panama, the United Arab Emirates and Seychelles for owning or managing the ships.
The outfits are accused of owning and managing the vessels as part of a “sprawling network” of tankers and ship managers that transport Iranian petroleum to international customers using false documentation, manipulation of tracking systems and changes to ships’ names and flags.
Among the newly blacklisted companies is Ceres Shipping, the Hong Kong-registered owner of a VLCC involved in a high-profile collision with a Hafnia tanker in October.
Treasury said the 300,000-dwt VLCC Ceres I (built 2001) has been transporting Iranian oil since at least 2021, including a January 2024 ship-to-ship transfer connected to already-sanctioned Jazira Das International Products Trading, National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) and China Concord Petroleum Co (CCPC).
Oil spill
The US pointed out that the collision with the 74,200-dwt product tanker Hafnia Nile (built 2017) resulted in an oil spill near Malaysia.
“At the time of the collision, the Ceres I’s vessel tracking signals were inconsistent with its position, which inhibited communication with the other vessel,” Treasury said.
Contact information was not available for Ceres Shipping.
Three Chinese ship managers were among those hit with sanctions.
US officials said Shanghai Future Ship Management has been transporting similar cargoes for NIOC since 2022.
Treasury said another vessel managed by the company was seized by Indonesia in 2021 after it was detected transferring oil to a ship owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co in an incident that caused an oil spill.
“Both vessels were attempting to conceal their identities by concealing their flags and turning off their automatic identification systems,” the agency said.
Shanghai Legendary Ship Management was accused of operating three tankers involved in Iranian crude shipments dating back to 2019.
Treasury officials said Cayman Islands-registered and China-based Eunomia owns the 301,000-dwt Fiona II (built 2003), a VLCC accused of moving Iranian oil since 2023, including a cargo moved in July this year to China on behalf of NIOC.
Contact information was not available for the China-based companies.
‘Shocked’ manager
The newly sanctioned entities include Galileos Marine Services, a UAE-based manager that the Equasis database links to two vessels, including a VLCC blacklisted on Tuesday.
Treasury said the ship had been transporting Iranian crude since at least 2022, changing its name repeatedly to “evade accountability”. Officials said it carried hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Iranian crude for CCPC.
| Name | Former name | DWT | Build year | Vessel type | Flag | Company |
| Jaya | Monoceros | 310,100 | 2008 | VLCC | Marshall Islands | Manager: Galileos Marine Services |
| Phonix | Luna Lake | 281,500 | 2001 | VLCC | Guyana | Manager: Vision Ship Management |
| Bertha | Monica S | 300,000 | 2004 | VLCC | Cook Islands | Manager: Shanghai Legendary Ship Management |
| Olive | Energy Challenger | 70,700 | 2005 | LR1 product tanker | Panama | Manager: Tightship Shipping Management (OPC) |
| Yuri | Somerset | 319,000 | 2002 | VLCC | Eswatini | Owner: Yurimaguas |
| Min Hang | Auriga | 158,600 | 2003 | Suezmax tanker | Cook Islands | Manager: Shanghai Legendary Ship Management |
| Elva | Ekaterina | 298,500 | 2002 | VLCC | Sao Tome & Principe | Owner: Lufindo Holding; manager: Inaya Ship Management |
| Ceres I | Affluence | 300,000 | 2001 | VLCC | Sao Tome & Principe | Owner: Ceres Shipping |
| Vanity | Blissful Sea | 297,400 | 2008 | VLCC | San Marino | Owner: Yurimaguas |
| Lady Lucy | Delphi | 38,900 | 2006 | Chemical tanker | Liberia | Owner and operator: Constellation Maritime Services |
| Vesna | Ocean Safari | 106,100 | 2000 | Aframax tanker | Belize | Manager: Shanghai Legendary Ship Management |
| FT Island | CCPC Vanguard | 311,200 | 1998 | VLCC | Honduras | Manager: Gaffodil |
| Masal | True Ocean | 159,200 | 1998 | Suezmax tanker | Iran | Owner and manager: Ocean Glory Giant OGG |
| Black Panther | Liberty | 46,800 | 2004 | MR product tanker | Panama | Manager: Tightship Shipping Management (OPC) |
| Lioness | Fido | 46,800 | 2004 | MR chemical tanker | Panama | Manager: Tightship Shipping Management (OPC) |
| Veronica III | Veronica | 299,000 | 2006 | VLCC | Panama | Manager: Shanghai Future Ship Management |
| Fiona II | Selene Trader | 301,000 | 2003 | VLCC | Panama | Owner: Eunomia |
| Merope | Amber Sun | 107,200 | 2003 | Aframax tanker | Panama | Manager: Shanghai Future Ship Management |
| Rio Napo | Lady Tyna | 47,900 | 2003 | MR chemical tanker | Cook Islands | Owner and manager: Vision Ship Management |
| Lara II | AT Lucky | 8,032 | 2006 | Chemical tanker | Panama | Owner and manager: Vision Ship Management |
| Tonil | Paragon Dawn | 74,000 | 2007 | LR1 product tanker | Panama | Manager: Lightship Management |
But Captain Raj, who is the company’s designated person ashore and who declined to give his surname, said the company has only been managing the vessel since a December 2023 dry-docking. He said it did not carry any “wrong cargoes” and instead was carrying crude from Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura to China.
“I’m very shocked,” he said when contacted by TradeWinds.
India-based Tightship Shipping Management (OPC) was blacklisted for operating three product and chemical tankers that have carried Iranian oil for NIOC since 2022.
And it was accused of being involved with another product tanker managed by Ukraine-based Lightship Management, which was also sanctioned after its 74,000-dwt Tonil (built 2007) allegedly “skirted sanctions to carry millions of barrels” of Iranian oil.
Lightship did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and its website and phone number are both out of service.
India’s Vision Ship Management was blacklisted for participating in Iranian trades, including a VLCC that allegedly has been carrying crude for CCPC since 2002 and a chemical tanker that officials said carried naphtha to the UAE.
The Mumbai company could not be reached for comment.
More shipments
Treasury slapped sanctions on Panama-registered Ocean Glory Giant OGG, Hong Kong’s Gaffodil and Marshall Islands-registered Yurimaguas for moving oil cargoes for CCPC and NIOC.
US officials also blacklisted Seychelles-registered shipowner Lufindo Holding and Pakistan’s Inaya Ship Management for their connection to the 298,500-dwt Elva (built 2002), a VLCC accused of carrying 2m barrels of Iranian light crude oil in July 2023.
Liberia-registered owner Constellation Maritime Services was also accused of carrying $36m worth of fuel oil cargoes to the UAE on behalf of NIOC.
No contact details are available for Ocean Glory, Gaffodil, Lufindo, Inaya, Yurimaguas or Constellation.
