VERONICA III

The tanker (VLCC class) is engaged in the illegal transportation of hundreds of thousands of metric tons of sanctioned Iranian oil on behalf of the sanctioned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world and is controlled by the Iranian Ministry of Oil, and the sanctioned China Concord Petroleum Company, which was sanctioned by USA in late 2019 for violating restrictions on the handling and transaction of Iranian oil. Iran relies on an extensive network of tankers and ship management companies in many jurisdictions to transport its oil to consumers, using deceptive tactics (falsification of documentation, manipulation of ship tracking systems, constant changes of names and flags of vessels).
The tanker is affiliated with Shanghai Future Ship Management Co Ltd (China), which was sanctioned by USA on December 03, 2024 for its activities in the oil sector of the Iranian economy.
On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the tanker.