BELLAGIO

The tanker is affiliated with Babylon Navigation DMCC (UAE, subject to US sanctions), which is associated with Waleed Khaled Hameed al-Samarra'i, who is subject to US sanctions. Waleed Khaled Hameed al-Samarra'i is a UAE businessman who runs a network of companies that manage vessels involved in the transportation and sale of Iranian oil. This network of companies works mainly by secretly mixing Iranian oil with Iraqi oil, which is then offered for sale exclusively as Iraqi oil. The al-Samarrai network is estimated to generate about $300 million in profits annually for both Iran and its partners. Babylon Navigation DMCC is engaged in the logistics and transportation aspects of al-Samarrai's activities.
To smuggle oil of Iranian origin by mixing Iranian and Iraqi oil at sea through STS transfers in the Persian Gulf and in Iraqi ports, al-Samarrai uses a group of vessels operated by Babylon Navigation DMCC, including the tanker IMO 9299446.
On September 02, 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on the tanker.