SKIPPER

The tanker was involved in the transportation of Iranian crude oil/petroleum products, in particular to Syria and China. The vessel is linked to a network smuggling Iranian crude oil, which was financed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah. The network was coordinated by Viktor Artemov (under US sanctions since November 2022).
On November 3, 2022, the US imposed sanctions on the tanker.
The vessel is also part of a large-scale shadow oil trading scheme between Venezuela and Cuba.
On December 10, 2025, the US Coast Guard boarded and arrested the tanker IMO 9304667 as it was sailing in international waters after departing from Venezuela. The tanker left the Venezuelan port on December 4, 2025, with 2 million barrels of oil from Venezuela's state oil company, known as PDVSA, on board. The ship's destination was listed as the Cuban port of Matanzas. Two days after departure, tanker IMO 9304667 transferred approximately 50,000 barrels to vessel IMO 9198666, which then headed towards Cuba, while tanker IMO 9304667 headed east towards Asia. It is likely that most of its cargo was intended for sale to the PRC. Most of the 30-member crew of the ship IMO 9304667 were russian citizens.
The seizure of the vessel IMO 9304667 was carried out by the Internal Security Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation after the US Coast Guard boarded the tanker.
On December 12, 2025, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia obtained a warrant for the arrest of the vessel IMO 9304667.