Marine vessels

The tanker during the period of the G7+ oil embargo and price-cap policy on russian crude oil/oil products is involved in the export of russian crude oil/oil products from russian ports in the Baltic Sea, using deceptive, high-risk practices. The vessel was involved in the transportation of sanctioned Iranian oil. The international NGO Greenpeace refers to the tanker as part of the shadow fleet of tankers that transport russian oil around the world and threaten the environment. On February 24, March 04, 2025 EU and Switzerland respectively imposed sanctions on the tanker for transporting crude oil/oil products originating in or exported from russia using irregular and high-risk shipping practices as specified in the International Maritime Organization General Assembly resolution A.1192 (33) (EU sanctions will enter into force on February 25, 2025). On July 21, 2025, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the vessel.

According to the USA-based human rights group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic using satellite data, the vessel was involved in the transportation of Iranian oil and has switched to transporting russian oil since October 2021. Since the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 90 vessels that previously helped Tehran export Iranian export oil are now helping russia transport russian oil/oil products. In May 2022, UANI first predicted that russia would turn to a 'ghost armada' to ensure oil flows to its Chinese partner. The vessel resorts to deceptive practices, including manipulation of the vessel's location and dark activities near Malaysia. On April 04, 2024, the USA imposed sanctions on the tanker ІМО 9281683, affiliated with OCEANLINK MARITIME DMCC and involved in cooperation with the sanctioned Iranian company Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company in the delivery of Iranian goods. Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company controls a network of front companies in Iran and other jurisdictions through which Iranian goods are sold in favor of the Ministry of Defense and Logistics of the Armed Forces of Iran (MODAFL) and the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS). On December 16, 2024, the EU imposed sanctions on the tanker (effective from December 17, 2024) due to the transportation of crude oil or petroleum products originating in or exported from russia, using irregular high-risk shipping practices as set out in the International Maritime Organization General Assembly Resolution A.1192(33). On December 23, 2024, Switzerland imposed sanctions on the vessel in connection with the transportation of crude oil or petroleum products originating in or exported from russia, using irregular and risky shipping practices, as set out in the resolution of the General Assembly of the International Maritime Organization A.1192(33). In June 2025, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The tanker is involved in the transportation of sanctioned Iranian oil, conducting dark activities at sea, in particular, for the STS oil transfer in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean with the participation of EMILY S (IMO 9321847), Merope (IMO 9281891), Skadi (IMO 9230971). According to the American human rights group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors tanker traffic related to Iran using satellite data, the vessel is involved in the transportation of Iranian crude oil and/or oil products, and since May 2023 has been included in the 'Armada of Ghosts' list maintained by UANI. The tanker BERTHA has also been included by UANI in the list of Maduro-Khamenei Oil Alliance tankers involved in the transportation of Iranian and Venezuelan oil since 2019. On June 11, 2022, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed a 20-year cooperation agreement to expand ties in the oil and petrochemical industries, military and economic spheres. Since then, bilateral ties have been developing: in 2023, Iran supplied more than 12 million barrels of crude oil and gas condensate, and Venezuela supplied about the same amount of fuel oil to Iran in return. Most of the cargo is transported by vessels of the sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) in both directions: Iranian oil and gas are unloaded in Venezuelan ports, and the same NITC tankers load Venezuelan fuel oil on the way back to China. However, a significant number of non-NITC vessels flying a foreign (non-Iranian) flag are also involved in the trade. The vessel is affiliated with the Chinese company Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited (under USA sanctions), whose fleet has been involved in the illegal transportation of millions of barrels of Iranian oil since at least 2022. On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the vessel.

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 ІМО 9285756) 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.

The tanker has been involved in the transportation of Iranian oil since at least 2021, STS transfers of Iranian oil. In particular, in January 2024, near Singapore, CERES I transferred almost 300,000 metric tons of Iranian oil from ship to ship in the interests of the 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, process and export oil and natural gas in Iran. NIOC's oil deals, including those of its subsidiaries, are used to generate revenue for the IRGC-QF (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and Hizballah. Jazira Das International Products Trading LLC is a UAE-registered company involved in falsifying documents to 'disguise' barrels of 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 to transport millions of barrels of oil, and concealing NIOC's involvement in the supply. According to the American human rights group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic using satellite data, the vessel is involved in the transportation of Iranian crude oil and/or petroleum products and has been included in the UANI's 'Ghost Armada' list since April 2021. Also, the tanker CERES I was included by UANI in the list of tankers of the Maduro-Khamenei Oil Alliance involved in the transportation of Iranian and Venezuelan oil. On June 11, 2022, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed a 20-year cooperation agreement to expand ties in the oil and petrochemical industries, military and economic spheres. Since then, bilateral ties have been developing: in 2023, Iran supplied more than 12 million barrels of crude oil and gas condensate, and Venezuela supplied about the same amount of fuel oil to Iran in return. Most of the cargo is transported by vessels of the sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) in both directions: Iranian oil and gas are unloaded in Venezuelan ports, and the same NITC tankers load Venezuelan fuel oil on the way back to China. A significant number of non-NITC vessels flying foreign (non-Iranian) flags are also involved in the trade. Also, according to UANI, the CERES I tanker is one of 16 oil tankers that have switched from Iranian oil to russian oil as of July 2022. In July 2024, the CERES I tanker was involved in a collision with another oil tanker, causing an oil spill in international waters near Malaysia. During the collision, the CERES I's tracking signals did not correspond to its position, which prevented it from communicating with the other vessel. On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The tanker is involved in the transportation of sanctioned Iranian oil, in particular, the vessel was used by Iran in July 2023 to deliver almost 2 million barrels of Iranian light crude oil, and resorts to deceptive practices, including disabling the AIS system and conducting dark activities near Malaysia. 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 ships. On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The tanker is involved in the transportation of sanctioned Iranian oil, has been involved in the transportation of illegal Iranian oil since at least 2023, and has been engaged in deceptive practices and dark activities near Iran and Malaysia. In July 2024, the FIONA II transported almost 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil to China on behalf of the sanctioned 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, process and export oil and natural gas in Iran. NIOC's oil deals, including those of its subsidiaries, are used to generate revenue for the IRGC-QF (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and Hizballah. Iran relies on an extensive network of tankers and ship management companies in many jurisdictions to transport its oil to foreign customers, using deceptive tactics (falsification of documentation, manipulation of ship tracking systems, and constant changes of 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 ships. On December 03, 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The tanker is involved in the transportation of sanctioned Iranian oil, in particular to China, deceptive practices, and providing dark activities near Malaysia. The vessel transported more than 1.6 million barrels of Iranian condensate to buyers in China on behalf of the sanctioned China Concord Petroleum Company and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in April 2024. 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 are engaged in the exploration, production, transportation, refining and export of oil and natural gas in Iran. NIOC's oil deals, including those of its subsidiaries, are used to generate revenue for the IRGC-QF (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and Hizbollah. On February 15, 2022, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) identified two crude oil tankers transporting Iranian crude oil from ship to ship (STS) with AIS turned off in the waters east of Singapore: LATIN VENTURE (formerly known as PACIFIC BRAVO, IMO 9206035) and FT ISLAND (formerly known as CCPC VANGUARD, IMO 9166675). On February 17, 2022, the vessel reappeared east of the STS relocation site. On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The tanker is involved in the transportation of Iranian oil, export of russian oil from russian ports in the Baltic Sea, the Pacific Ocean region to third countries, and deceptive practices, including AIS manipulation/spoofing. The international NGO Greenpeace refers to the tanker as part of a shadow fleet of tankers transporting russian crude oil around the world through the Baltic Sea, the Kadetsky Canal area in the Mecklenburg Bay, and threatening the environment. According to the American human rights group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic using satellite data, the vessel was involved in the transportation of Iranian oil. According to UANI, the tanker was engaged in AIS signal spoofing while loading crude oil from Sirri Island (Iran) in August 2021, as well as MMSI spoofing by posing as another vessel while unloading Iranian oil in Banias (Syria) in September 2021. In particular, during the offloading of Iranian oil in Banias (Syria) in September 2021, according to AIS data, the vessel was anchored west of the Cyprus STS transmission zone, while sending AIS messages from Spain at 36.179, 5.926. Since the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 90 vessels that previously helped Tehran export Iranian export oil are now helping russia transport russian crude oil/oil products. In May 2022, UANI first predicted that russia would turn to the 'ghost armada' to ensure oil flows to its Chinese partner. UANI also included the tanker in the list of tankers of the Maduro-Khamenei Oil Alliance involved in the transportation of Iranian and Venezuelan oil. On June 11, 2022, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed a 20-year cooperation agreement to expand ties in the oil and petrochemical industries, military and economic spheres. Since then, bilateral ties have been developing: in 2023, Iran supplied more than 12 million barrels of crude oil and gas condensate, and Venezuela supplied about the same amount of fuel oil to Iran in return. Most of the cargo is transported by vessels of the sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) in both directions: Iranian oil and gas are unloaded in Venezuelan ports, and the same NITC tankers load Venezuelan fuel oil on the way back to China. A significant number of non-NITC vessels flying foreign (not Iranian) flags are also involved in the trade.

The tanker has been involved in the transportation of sanctioned Iranian oil since at least 2022, in particular, it has transported hundreds of thousands of metric tons of Iranian crude oil on behalf of China Concord Petroleum Company, which was sanctioned by USA in late 2019 for violating restrictions on the handling and transactions with 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 ship names and flags). Since 2022, the vessel has changed its name, flag country, owner and management several times. The tanker is certified by the China Classification Society (IACS). On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the vessel. According to GISIS IMO data, as of July 15, the vessel's flag is unknown.

In July 2024, the tanker on behalf of the sanctioned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) delivered Iranian fuel oil worth approximately $18.5 million to the UAE, in August 2024, it transported an additional cargo of fuel oil worth approximately $17.5 million to the UAE. The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world and is controlled by the Ministry of Oil of Iran. 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 (Hezbollah). On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the tanker.

The tanker is affiliated with the sanctioned Indian company Vision Ship Management LLP, which is affiliated with vessels involved in the transportation of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil for the sanctioned China Concord Petroleum Company since 2022. 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 ship names and flags). On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the tanker as a property in which Vision Ship Management LLP has an interest.