The Ghost Armada
Updated: May 1, 2024
In November 2020, UANI identified 70 foreign vessels suspected of involvement in the illicit transfer of Iranian crude oil and/or petroleum products. Over three years later, the list has grown to 409. This suspected ghost armada, distinct from but complementing Iran’s own NITC tanker fleet, has skirted U.S. sanctions and exploited regulatory loopholes to ship millions of barrels of Iranian oil.
One of the most frequently deployed tactics in evading oil sanctions is “flag hopping.” This involves the repeated switching of a ship’s “flag” – which permits legitimate global travel and docking rights – to different national registries. Often accompanied by the formation of new shell and front companies, ownership and name changes, and even alterations to ships’ physical markings, flag-hopping is a blight on legitimate maritime commerce.
Certain vessel owners are intentionally exploiting flag registries, many of which do not have the capabilities to track the history of vessels or even perform what ought to be rudimentary compliance scans. In fact, some registries are increasingly reliant on UANI for assistance in identifying the suspicious and often illicit behavior of vessels absent their own tracking capabilities and resources.
For example, in a Guardian report from March 23, 2021, the Cook Islands flag registry acknowledged to the journalist, “we just do what they [UANI] tell us.”
In conveying our findings to the world’s flag registries, a majority have taken appropriate measures and de-flagged these vessels. Others are less responsive, taking months to ‘investigate’ while allowing the vessels to engage in further illicit activity under their flag’s registration.
The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP)
Of the 409 vessels listed below, 38% are currently flagged by the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), one of the world’s biggest and most famous flag registry.
AMP was the second largest flag state for 2023. Given this fact, it might be anticipated that AMP would be a leader in de-flagging vessels that breach sanctions or tamper with vessel-tracking systems. Indeed, AMP director-general Rafael Cigarruista has asserted that AMP is proactive on these issues.
However, UANI has serious doubts regarding the seriousness of Panama’s flag authority on these issues.
By way of illustration, we first alerted AMP to a suspected ship-to-ship (“STS”) transfer of Iranian oil with the Panama-flagged vessel BRIGHT SONIA in October 2020. BRIGHT SONIA remains flagged by Panama today:
Ship Details: BRIGHT SONIA, flagged by Panama (Source: Marine Traffic)
Since October 2020, Bright Sonia is suspected to have engaged in numerous loadings of Iranian oil, transporting an estimated total of 7.3 million barrels of Iranian crude oil. Taking into account the substantial discount Iran offers for crude sales, we estimate this single vessel has filled regime coffers to the tune of $580 million. A big chunk of these proceeds will end up being disbursed for regime terrorist funding, Iranian proxy wars, and Iran’s malign intelligence activities. In neglecting to de-flag BRIGHT SONIA, AMP has seriously abrogated its responsibility.
Responsible Flaggers
On the other hand, there are many responsible authorities such as the St. Kitts and Nevis International Ship Registry (SkanReg), which have de-flagged all eight vessels identified by UANI. Other notable registries with a good track record include the Tanzania-Zanzibar International Register of Shipping, the Maritime Administration of Gabonese Republic, and the Tuvalu Ship Registry.
The Ghost Armada: The List
UANI has compiled a list of vessels suspected to have been involved in the transfer of Iranian crude oil and/or petroleum products, so that the entire community of flag registries may act in concert to “stop the hop.”
In its reply to UANI the Tuvalu Ship Registry suggested: “it is our opinion that vessel registries should make public the information they have relating to vessels and owners that seek to support the Iranian / Syrian regime just as how TSR has done. This will save time and cut out the bureaucracy of signing agreements and surely result in a more effective way of stamping out “flag-hopping”.
UANI agrees and we intend to update this list monthly. We encourage all flag states to routinely check this list to confirm whether vessels suspected of involvement in the illicit transfer of Iranian oil are seeking to register under their flags.
IMO | Vessel Name | Date Added | Current Flag* Sort descending | Former Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|
9194139 | MERAKI (EX: DOMINAR, SEINE) | ANTIGUA & BARBUDA | PALAU | |
9131101 | CALYPSO GAS | ANTIGUA & BARBUDA | ||
9257503 | PARINE (EX: SEA BREEZE, JAG LARA, FREE SEA) | BARBADOS | DJIBOUTI, GABON | |
9176929 | OASIS (EX: ANNELEEN) | BARBADOS | ||
9422988 | VOLANS (EX: SUPER SAPPHIRE, OKEANOS, MARE, AL KHALIDIA, VICTORY 1) | BARBADOS | BAHAMAS, CAMEROON, GABON, LIBERIA | |
9229362 | ROAD (EX: SAINT NICHOLAI) | BARBADOS | DJIBOUTI | |
9397030 | HARMONY (EX: GLOBAL HARMONY) | BARBADOS | COOK ISLANDS | |
9248461 | WAN HE (EX: CHEM SINYOO) | BARBADOS | ||
9187435 | VERGIOS | BELIZE | ||
9233349 | VESNA | BELIZE | SAO TOME & PRINCIPE, DJIBOUTI | |
9134294 | ECHO STAR | BELIZE | ||
9231509 | TREND (EX: MM STRENGTH, SPM STRENGTH) | BELIZE | LIBERIA | |
9246281 | ANHONA | BELIZE | LIBERIA | |
9256468 | ELSA | BELIZE | ||
9282522 | BAXTER | BELIZE | ||
9182291 | AMOR (EX: ROMA, KARO) | CAMEROON | COMOROS, PANAMA | |
9162916 | SETA (EX: HANA) | CAMEROON | TANZANIA, SAMOA (FALSE), GUYANA, GABON | |
9233739 | VETER | CAMEROON | ||
9615092 | ELIN (EX: MARIA III)‡ | CAMEROON | TANZANIA | |
9209300 | MOLECULE (EX SALVADOR, GLORY) | CAMEROON | KIRBATI, PALAU | |
9262754 | ATILA | CAMEROON | ||
9160530 | RIALTO (EX: KAIRO 1) | CAMEROON | ST KITTS & NEVIS | |
9041655 | TRIS GAS | CAMEROON | ST KITTS & NEVIS | |
9183271 | IONA (EX: CALYPSO) | CAMEROON | ||
9187227 | OMEGA | CAMEROON | ||
8912558 | TULIP (EX: GAS ORCHID) | CAMEROON | DJIBOUTI | |
9203265 | VORAS (EX: ERMIS, TIANA) | CAMEROON | SAO TOME & PRINCIPE (FALSE), SAO TOME & PRINCIPE, GUYANA, TANZANIA | |
9216717 | ELIZABET | CAMEROON | ||
9131357 | ORION | CAMEROON | ||
9235244 | BALU (EX: NEW GLOBAL) | CAMEROON | PANAMA, MARSHALL ISLANDS | |
9192260 | OTARIA (EX: GALA, WINSOME, UMM HABAYEB, BLUE PEARL, JUBILANT) | CAMEROON | ST KITTS & NEVIS, GUYANA, GABON, PANAMA | |
8818219 | GAS NELLY (EX: GAS GEMINI) | CAMEROON | SIERRA LEONE, SAO TOME & PRINCIPE (FALSE) | |
9144782 | ROBON (EX: TURBA, PELICAN) | CAMEROON | ||
9255933 | CIMARRON (EX: DAISY 2, TANIA) | CAMEROON | TANZANIA, PANAMA | |
9197909 | ROZA | CAMEROON | ||
9224805 | UZOR | CAMEROON | ||
9041643 | ARGO MARIS | CAMEROON | ||
9000883 | SEA OPERA (EX: SEA LUNA, GAS JENNY) | CAMEROON | GUYANA, PANAMA | |
8744107 | YONG XIANG 29‡ | CHINA | ||
9349095 | JIAN HANG TAI DA (EX: XUAN NING)‡ | CHINA | ||
9002491 | CAPE GAS | COMOROS | ||
9304356 | HERA 1 (EX: HERA) | COMOROS | PANAMA, VANUATU | |
9183300 | HESTIA | COMOROS | PANAMA, VANUATU | |
9408798 | PENNA | COMOROS | PANAMA | |
9288875 | MUR (EX: SAVA, PRATIKA) | COMOROS | PANAMA | |
9397080 | SIA (EX: OCEANUS GAS) | COMOROS | PANAMA | |
9237228 | RHEA | COMOROS | PANAMA | |
9222443 | TRICIA II (EX: TIBURTINA, ARABELA, KYOTO) | COMOROS | PANAMA | |
9264881 | NEREIDES | COMOROS | PANAMA | |
9281683 | ANTHEA | COMOROS | PANAMA | |
9189146 | MEMPHIS (EX: METIS) | COMOROS | PANAMA, CYPRUS | |
9251664 | ELLES PRIDE | COMOROS | ||
9531387 | SOFIA | COMOROS | ||
9282106 | ARTEMIS GAS | COMOROS | PANAMA | |
9234616 | K M A | COOK ISLANDS | ||
9546722 | CONRAD | COOK ISLANDS | ||
9165542 | SERANO II (EX: COLOSSUS, XENIA S, ADRATIS, BALDER) | COOK ISLANDS | TANZANIA, GABON | |
9301005 | WORLD PERFORMANCE | COOK ISLANDS | LIBERIA | |
9008101 | CAPTAIN NIKOLAS | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9258595 | LADY ELISE | COOK ISLANDS | ||
9174397 | LISA | COOK ISLANDS | ||
9137648 | CARUZO | COOK ISLANDS | PALAU | |
8912546 | TOWER RISE | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9237797 | SHANNON II (EX: YOUXIA) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9220938 | MARBEL (EX: MINERVA) | COOK ISLANDS | PALAU | |
9256913 | RIO NAPO | COOK ISLANDS | ||
9193721 | DANUTA I (EX: SAPPHIRE I) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9149251 | RAISSA (EX: SHINING, EASTERN ONE) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9240914 | CHEM | COOK ISLANDS | ||
9114581 | GAS LEADER | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9235464 | PK MARIT | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9350422 | OUREA | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9208215 | DIMITRA II | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9046784 | NIBA (EX: GAS ROMA, GAS ORPHEUS) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9031519 | SEA HERMES | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9252371 | POMPEI II (EX: HERMOSA) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9232955 | TERNHAV (EX: GLOBAL ELEGANCE) | COOK ISLANDS | ||
9311270 | MONIQUE (EX: ELYSIA) | COOK ISLANDS | LIBERIA, PANAMA | |
9005053 | SONA (EX: SEA GLORIA) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9274563 | VELA GAS | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9255945 | DOLPHIN (EX: DIAMOND, YOLANDA, LAVINIA) | COOK ISLANDS | TANZANIA, GUYANA, SIERRA LEONE, PANAMA, ST KITTS & NEVIS | |
9292163 | BERTHA (EX: MONICA S) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9379703 | GOODWIN (EX: PANDORA, YONG DING) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9263643 | SONA STAR (EX: LIDINIA) | COOK ISLANDS | PALAU | |
9257137 | MIN HANG (EX: AURIGA) | COOK ISLANDS | PANAMA | |
9251951 | ENOLA (EX: KOHO I) | DJIBOUTI | PANAMA | |
9040118 | G SPRING (EX: GAS ARMA) | DJIBOUTI | ||
9290775 | MELENIA (EX: GLORY FOREVER) | DJIBOUTI | ||
9411288 | LIA | GABON | ||
9242481 | CHINTAMANI | GABON | ||
9213313 | ALBEDO (EX: ALITA I) | GABON | ||
9155341 | DRAVIN (EX: KANHA) | GABON | ||
9162928 | ASTRA (EX: HURON) | GABON | CAMEROON | |
9263382 | PETRA | GABON | ||
9134165 | YU I (EX: VAYU SHAKTI) | GABON | ||
9273052 | DANICA (EX: AFRA CROWN, LAFIZA, GULF VOYAGER) | GABON | LIBERIA, PANAMA | |
9268112 | OLIA (EX: ARC 1) | GABON | PANAMA | |
9405617 | AARVI (EX: REEM 7) | GABON | ||
9108104 | SAVER 3 (EX: SPRING 3) | GABON | ||
9136058 | FOREVER | GABON |
IMO | Vessel Name | Date Added | Current Flag* Sort descending | Former Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|
9172583 | ALANA (ex FALCON PRIDE) | ANTIGUA & BARBUDA | LIBERIA | |
9144067 | ION (ex GORI/SANREMO/STRENGTH 1) | CAMEROON | ||
9150767 | MR NAUTILUS | CAMEROON | ||
9133587 | PABLO (EX: MOCKINGBIRD (EX: HELIOS (EX ADISA, SIRO 1) | GABON | TANZANIA, COOK ISLANDS, CAMEROON | |
9105102 | OCEAN RI (EX: MEADOWS, OCEAN RICH, CHANG HAI) | PALAU | COOK ISLANDS | |
9070149 | SAAVI (ex MAHARAJA) | PANAMA | ||
9208057 | SEA GLAMOUR (ex SEA ELEGANCE) | PANAMA | ||
8617055 | SIMBA (ex ORE) | SAMOA (FALSE) | TANZANIA | |
9212864 | EM LONGEVITY | SINGAPORE | ||
9118393 | G STAR (ex ENERGY STAR) | ST KITTS & NEVIS | THAILAND | |
9166417 | BRAD (EX: BRADLEY, SEAGER) | ST KITTS & NEVIS | COMOROS, PANAMA | |
9246138 | TELSA (EX: TELLUS, ELLA IX / MARS V) | ST KITTS & NEVIS | CAMEROON, COMOROS, GABON, TOGO | |
7230666 | WHITE PURL | UNKNOWN | PANAMA | |
9081837 | HAZEL (ex CLARA) | UNKNOWN | COMOROS | |
9201592 | INGRID (ex SUPER LADY) | UNKNOWN | PANAMA, SIERRA LEONE | |
9188788 | JAL GAMINI (EX: PUTRI SAMUDRA, KANHA PRIDE) | UNKNOWN | TANZANIA, TOGO, PALAU, CAMEROON | |
9111644 | ALBA SUN (ex EAGLE BEAUMONT) | UNKNOWN | PANAMA | |
8614467 | SEA PRINCES (EX: QUEEN 1) | UNKNOWN | GUYANA, PANAMA | |
9200964 | ANASTASIA I | UNKNOWN | PANAMA | |
9123192 | AVENTINE | UNKNOWN | PANAMA | |
9253064 | SOTHYS | UNKNOWN | VIETNAM | |
8902993 | STANDORF | UNKNOWN | PANAMA | |
9102265 | EM VITALITY | UNKNOWN | COOK ISLANDS | |
9248485 | URANUS (ex AZTEC, HERMES, CALLIOP) | UNKNOWN | TANZANIA, GUYANA, CAMEROON | |
9159660 | FREESIA I (ex LA ROSA I) | UNKNOWN | PANAMA | |
9199828 | VENTURA (EX: GULF VENTURE, LEVIATHAN, ELISA SEA, ARK RESCUE) | UNKNOWN | ST KITTS & NEVIS, CAMEROON, GABON, TANZANIA |
* Change of flag due to UANI intervention
‡ Vessel was sanctioned prior to inclusion on UANI’s public list of vessels suspected of involvement in Iran. The vessel remains on UANI’s list as it is currently foreign-flagged or ship-tracking platforms have failed to update the flag to unknown.
The vessels italicized indicate that the vessel was sanctioned after inclusion on UANI’s public list of vessels suspected of involvement in the illicit transfer of Iranian oil.
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