U.S. Imposes New Sanctions On Iran’s Shadow Fleet Tankers Transporting Sanctioned Petroleum

The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on more than 30 individuals, entities, and vessels linked to Iran’s illicit oil trade and weapons programs.

The action, announced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), targets 12 shadow fleet vessels accused of transporting hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian petroleum in 2025 and early 2026.

OFAC designated 12 vessels operating as part of Iran’s so-called shadow fleet. These tankers shipped significant volumes of Iranian crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO), condensate, naphtha, and grey ammonia to foreign markets.

The sanctioned vessels include:

HOOT (IMO 9267962) – Transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian LPG to Bangladesh in 2025.

OCEAN KOI (IMO 9255933) – Shipped millions of barrels of Iranian HSFO and condensate since May 2025; active in the shadow fleet since at least 2020.

NORTH STAR (IMO 9299563) – Moved nearly two million barrels of Iranian HSFO since late 2025.

FELICITA (IMO 9167162) – Carried millions of barrels of HSFO and naphtha since 2023.

ATEELA 1 (IMO 9548990) and ATEELA 2 (IMO 9549009) – Transported over 100,000 barrels of petroleum products for the National Iranian Oil Company since late 2025.

NIBA (IMO 9046784) – Shipped millions of barrels of LPG, including butane and propane, since 2025.

LUMA (IMO 9034690) – Delivered hundreds of thousands of barrels of LPG to Bangladesh and Pakistan since late 2025.

REMIZ (IMO 9223344) – Transported millions of barrels of Iranian oil to East Asia since 2025.

DANUTA I (IMO 9193721) – Shipped millions of barrels of LPG to East Asia since 2023.

ALAA (IMO 9155341) – Delivered dozens of LPG cargoes to multiple jurisdictions, including Türkiye, since 2022.

GAS FATE (IMO 9147394) – Transported over one million barrels of Iranian grey ammonia since 2024.

According to OFAC, several of these vessels have operated within the Iranian shadow fleet network for years, using foreign flags and offshore ownership structures to obscure their links to Iranian oil exports.

Nine companies were sanctioned for operating in Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors. These include shipowners and operators based in Panama, the Marshall Islands, Liberia, the British Virgin Islands, and Iran.

Additionally, OFAC targeted networks in Iran, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates accused of supplying precursor materials and sensitive machinery used in Iran’s ballistic missile and ACW production.

Authorities said these networks also facilitated the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to third countries.

The sanctions were issued under Executive Orders 13902, 13382, and 13949, which authorise penalties against Iran’s key economic sectors and weapons proliferators.

Reference: US Treasury

Source: Maritime Shipping News