CERES I

The tanker is involved in the transportation of Venezuelan, Iranian crude oil.
In particular, in January 2024, near Singapore, the tanker transshipped nearly 300,000 metric tons of Iranian oil from ship to ship on behalf of sanctioned Jazira Das International Products Trading LLC (UAE), China Concord Petroleum Company (CCPC), and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). 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. NIOC's oil deals, including those of its subsidiaries, are used to generate profits for the IRGC-QF (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and Hizballah. Jazira Das International Products Trading LLC — a UAE-registered company involved in falsifying documents to "disguise" Iranian oil from the sanctioned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) as Emirati oil, coordinating many NIOC oil shipments to the sanctioned China Concord Petroleum Company, and concealing NIOC's involvement in the shipments.
Many tankers involved in transporting Iranian crude oil to countries such as China are involved in Venezuelan trade, including tanker IMO 9229439. 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 relations have begun to develop. Most of the 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.
In July 2024, the vessel IMO 9229439 collided with another oil tanker, causing an oil spill in international waters near Malaysia. During the collision, the tracking signals from IMO 9229439 did not correspond to its position, which prevented communication with the other vessel.
On December 3, 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on the vessel.