Shadow Fleet

The tanker is affiliated with Delnaz Ship Management Sdn Bhd, which was sanctioned by USA on October 11, 2024 as part of the expansion of restrictions on Iran's oil/petrochemical sector.
On October 11, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the tanker as a property in which Delnaz Ship Management Sdn Bhd has an interest.

The tanker is involved in the transportation of Iranian oil/oil products.
The vessel is involved in the transportation of sanctioned cargo on behalf of the Lebanon-based company Concepto Screen SAL Off-Shore, which is owned by Hizballah.
On June 10, 2024, the US imposed sanctions on the tanker.
The tanker is involved in the transportation of Venezuelan crude oil/petroleum products. In December 2025, the tanker IMO 9230880, flying the Panamanian flag, attempted to approach the coast of Venezuela despite the US blockade. The US Coast Guard tried to stop the tanker, but the crew (citizens of russia, Ukraine, and India) refused to comply with the Coast Guard's demands and abruptly changed course. The crew painted the flags of the russian federation on the ship's hull, and a few days later, the tanker was renamed from Bella 1 to Marinera and registered in the russian maritime register. From December 15, 2025, the ship spent two weeks trying to evade US Coast Guard control in the Atlantic Ocean. The russian Navy attempted to escort the tanker, including with the participation of a submarine, but on January 7, 2026, US Coast Guard forces in the North Atlantic (south of Iceland) boarded the tanker and took control of it in international waters.

The tanker, during the period of the oil embargo and price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products. The vessel is also involved in the transportation of iranian crude oil/petroleum products.
On March 26, 2024, the US imposed sanctions on the tanker as part of restrictions on a network of companies and vessels used by Sa'id al-Jamal, an Iranian financial intermediary for the Houthis (Houthi) supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF).
Many tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil to countries such as China are involved in Venezuelan trade, including tanker IMO 9185530. On June 11, 2022, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed a 20-year cooperation agreement to expand ties in the oil and petrochemical industries, as well as in the military and economic spheres. Since then, bilateral ties have begun to develop. Most cargo is transported by ships belonging to the sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) in both directions. A significant number of ships flying foreign (non-Iranian) flags are also involved in this trade.

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.

The vessel is considered to be part of the so-called "shadow fleet," which is used to circumvent sanctions on crude oil trade with Iran, russia, and Venezuela.
The vessel was involved in transporting Iranian crude oil in Karystos Bay (Petalioi Gulf), and was detained by the Greek Coast Guard in April 2022.
In 2020-2025, the tanker is affiliated with the russian shipping company MG-Flot LLC (formerly Transmorfot LLC).
In May 2022, the US imposed sanctions on Transmorfloot LLC and the company's vessels involved in transporting weapons to russia.
MG-Flot LLC is affiliated with Astrakhan businessman Jamaldin Emir Magomedovich Pashayev, who built his business around the commercial port of Olya in the Astrakhan region. This location was proposed as the key logistics hub of the North-South international transport corridor, the development and construction of which was supervised and controlled by former russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. The key purpose of the transport corridor was trade with sanctioned Iran, which could import and export goods via the North-South route. This explains the provision of trade in Iranian oil by a fleet of tankers affiliated with a bank controlled by Mikhail Fradkov.
The vessel is also affiliated with the russian company PSB Leasing LLC (TIN 7722581759), a subsidiary of Promsvyazbank PJSC Promsvyazbank (TIN 7744000912), which is a systemically important state-owned banking institution of the russian federation that finances the russian defense industry, services significant volumes of state defense contracts of the russian Ministry of Defense, and provides banking services, including mortgage loans, to the russian military.
As part of the sanctions against PJSC Promsvyazbank, in February 2022, the US imposed sanctions on five vessels (including IMO 9256860), which at that time were owned by PSB Leasing LLC, a subsidiary of PJSC Promsvyazbank.
On January 15, 2026, the US authorities officially confirmed the seizure of a tanker in the Caribbean Sea as part of Operation Southern Spear. The operation was carried out by marines and sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The vessel is accused of violating the naval blockade and sanctions imposed by the US against Venezuela, as well as transporting Venezuelan oil. The ship last transmitted its coordinates on January 3, 2026, while anchored near Aruba. At the time of the seizure, the tanker was flying under the flag of Guyana (the previous flag of Iran), but the ship had been registered under the flag of the russian federation since January 1, 2026. Since December 25, 2025, the owner and manager of the tanker has been the russian company Burevestmarin LLC, established in July 2025. The director and sole owner of the company is Ilya Bugay, an entrepreneur from the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, Ukraine. At the end of December 2025, the company became the owner and manager of two more tankers:
— MARINERA IMO 9230880 (under US sanctions), detained on January 7, 2026, by the US Coast Guard in the North Atlantic south of Iceland. The vessel was detained after a two-week pursuit in the Atlantic after it evaded inspection in the Caribbean Sea. As of January 15, 2026, the tanker is under US control and has been delivered to Moray Firth (Scotland, UK);
— SOKOLO IMO 9153525 (under US sanctions) — a VLCC class tanker involved in the transportation of Iranian and russian oil. The vessel last transmitted its coordinates on January 1, 2026, while in the Caribbean Sea at an anchorage off the coast of Aruba.

During the G7 and EU oil embargo and price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products.
In September 2025, the vessel exported nearly 29,000 tons of russian petroleum products from the port of Tuapse to Turkey.
The tanker calls at the Sheskharis terminal in the port of Novorossiysk, which is a transshipment complex and the endpoint of the main pipelines of JSC Chernomortransneft (TIN 2315072242, under US sanctions) — a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Transneft (TIN 7706061801).

During the G7 and EU oil embargo and price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products from russian ports on the Baltic and Black Seas.
In September 2025, the vessel exported nearly 33,000 tons of russian petroleum products from the Sheshkharis terminal in the port of Novorossiysk to Turkey. The shipper was the sanctioned russian company PJSC Lukoil, and the charterer was Litasco. The Sheshkharis terminal is a transshipment complex, the endpoint of the main pipelines of JSC Chernomortransneft (TIN 2315072242, under US sanctions) — a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Transneft (TIN 7706061801).

During the G7 and EU oil embargo and price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products to third countries.
In September 2025, the vessel transported 30,000 tons of russian petroleum products from the port of Taman (russia) to Turkey. The shipper was the company Slavyansk ECO, and the charterer was Augusta Commodity.
The tanker calls at ports in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular at the port of Kamysh-Burun in August, October, and November 2025.

During the G7 and EU oil embargo and price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products.
In September 2025, the tanker transported nearly 30,000 tons of russian petroleum products from the Sheshkharis terminal in the port of Novorossiysk to Turkey. The cargo was shipped by Tatneft. The Sheskharis terminal is a transshipment complex, the endpoint of the main pipelines of Chernomortransneft (TIN 2315072242, under US sanctions) — a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Transneft (TIN 7706061801).

During the G7 and EU oil embargo and price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products.
In September 2025, the tanker transported russian petroleum products from the Sheskharis terminal in the port of Novorossiysk to Togo. The Sheskharis terminal is a transshipment complex, the endpoint of the main pipelines of JSC Chernomortransneft (TIN 2315072242, under US sanctions) — a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Transneft (TIN 7706061801).

During the G7 and EU oil embargo and price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products.
In September 2025, the tanker transported 33,000 tons of russian petroleum products from the port of Tuapse to Turkey. The cargo was shipped by Rosneft.
The tanker calls at the Sheshkharis terminal in the port of Novorossiysk, which is a transshipment complex and the endpoint of the main pipelines of Chernomortransneft JSC (TIN 2315072242, under US sanctions) — a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Transneft (TIN 7706061801).

The tanker, during the period of the G7 and EU oil embargo and the price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, is involved in the export of russian petroleum products to third countries.
In April 2025, the tanker exported russian petroleum products from the port of Vysotsk to Turkey in the interests of PJSC "Lukoil"
. In April 2025, the vessel exported russian petroleum products from the port of Ust-Luga to Georgia in the interests of PJSC "Surgutneftegaz".
In September 2025, the vessel exported nearly 40,000 tons of russian petroleum products from the ports of Tuapse and Novorossiysk (russia) to third countries, in particular, in the interests of PJSC Oil Company Rosneft.
In January 2026, the tanker exported russian petroleum products from the port of Primorsk to Ghana in the interests of PJSC "Surgutneftegaz".