BLACK PANTHER

The tanker is involved in the transportation of sanctioned Iranian oil, deceptive practices with the disabling of AIS signals, and dark activities near Iran.
Iran relies on an extensive network of tankers and ship management companies in multiple jurisdictions to transport its oil to foreign customers, using deceptive tactics such as falsifying documentation, manipulating ship tracking systems, and constantly changing ship names and flags. One of the most commonly used tactics to evade oil sanctions is 'flag hopping' in various national registries, which allows the vessel to carry out transportation and have the right to moor. This tactic is often accompanied by the creation of fictitious companies, change of owners, managers, ship names, and change of physical markings of the vessel. Some shipowners deliberately use flag registries to evade sanctions, many of which do not have the resources and capabilities to track and verify the history of their vessels.
The tanker is affiliated with the Indian company Tightship Shipping Management (OPC) Private Limited, whose fleet (including the tanker BLACK PANTHER) is involved in the transportation of Iranian oil worth tens of millions of dollars for the sanctioned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) at least since 2022. The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world and is controlled by the Iranian Ministry of Oil. NIOC and its subsidiaries explore, produce, transport, refine and export oil and natural gas in Iran. The oil deals of NIOC, including its subsidiaries, are used to generate revenue for the IRGC-QF (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and Hizballah.
On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the vessel.

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Karachi (Pakistan), Sharjah (UAE), Sohar (Oman), Jebel Ali (UAE)