PAOLA

The tanker is affiliated with Babylon Navigation DMCC (UAE, subject to USA sanctions), which is linked to Waleed Khaled Hameed al-Samarra’i, who is subject to USA sanctions. Waleed Khaled Hameed al-Samarra’i is a businessman from the UAE who runs a network of companies that manage ships involved in the transportation and sale of іranian oil. This network of companies operates primarily by secretly mixing іranian oil with іraqi oil, which is then offered for sale exclusively as іraqi oil. It is estimated that al-Samarrai's network generates approximately $300 million in profits annually for both іran and its partners. Babylon Navigation DMCC handles the logistics and transportation aspects of al-Samarrai's activities.
To smuggle іranian oil by mixing іranian and іraqi oil at sea through STS transfers in the Persian Gulf and in іraqi ports, al-Samarrai uses a group of vessels operated by Babylon Navigation DMCC, including the tanker IMO 9299458.
On September 2, 2025, the USA imposed sanctions on the tanker.