The Maduro-Khamenei Oil Alliance: List of Foreign Flagged Vessels Shipping Iranian and Venezuelan Oil

Updated: February 28, 2023

On June 11, 2022, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed a 20-year cooperation agreement to expand ties in the oil and petrochemical industries, the military, and the economy.  Since then, bilateral ties have mushroomed to the extent that unconfirmed reports suggest Caracas will shelter fleeing IRI officials in the event of regime collapse.  So far this year, Iran has supplied over 26 million barrels of crude oil and gas condensate. In exchange, Venezuela – whose energy industry is now being assisted by U.S. giant Chevron – has delivered about the same volume of fuel oil cargo to Iran. National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) vessels have transported most shipments – in both directions: once discharged of Iranian crude and gas in Venezuelan ports, the same NITC tanker loads Venezuelan fuel oil on the return leg to Iran.

However, a significant number of non-NITC, foreign-flagged (i.e. not Iranian) vessels are also involved in the trade.  Furthermore, over recent weeks, UANI has noted that many tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil to countries like China are now participating in the Venezuelan trade. The below list shows foreign-flagged tankers that have been involved in shipping both Iranian oil and Venezuelan oil since 2019. As of February 28, 2023, UANI has documented 56 vessels that have transported both Iranian and Venezuelan oil and oil products.  That represents one-fifth of the vessels on UANI’s ‘Ghost Armada.’

 

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Number

Vessel Name

Flag

  1.  

9283801

ACHELOUS

Panama

  1.  

9273052

AFRA CROWN

?

  1.  

9197832

ALISHA

Panama

  1.  

9244635

AMAK

Panama

  1.  

9304655

ANNICK

Panama

  1.  

9222443

ARABELA

St Kitts & Nevis

  1.  

9192258

ARES

Syria

  1.  

9181194

ASTERIX

?

  1.  

9271406

ASTRID I

Panama

  1.  

9133192

AVENTINE

Panama

  1.  

9262168

BERG 1

Panama

  1.  

9232876

BRAVA LAKE

Panama

  1.  

9240512

CARINA V

Panama

  1.  

9229439

CERES I

Sao Tome & Principe (False)

  1.  

9247986

CRESTED

Panama

  1.  

9018464

DOLPHIN

?

  1.  

9247431

EASTERN PRIDE

Liberia

  1.  

9256568

ELSA

Belize

  1.  

9326720

GRACY

Vietnam

  1.  

9304356

HERA 1

Panama

  1.  

9171448

IMPALAS

Panama

  1.  

9227443

INNOVA

Vietnam

  1.  

9144067

ION

Cameroon

  1.  

9183271

IONA

Cameroon

  1.  

9234666

ISAIAH

Liberia

  1.  

9224295

JUDY II

Sao Tome & Principe (False)

  1.  

9188788

KANHA PRIDE

Cameroon

  1.  

9212759

LADY SOFIA

Panama

  1.  

9199828

LEVIATHAN

Cameroon

  1.  

9203277

LEXIE

?

  1.  

9208136

MERCY 08

Vietnam

  1.  

9230880

NEOFIT

Palau

  1.  

9179701

NOLAN

Panama

  1.  

9331244

PAPA

Panama

  1.  

9436006

PARAMOUNT

Marshall Islands

  1.  

9144782

TURBA (EX: PELICAN)

Cameroon

  1.  

9102239

PENNY H

?

  1.  

9241114

PENTA I

Panama

  1.  

9102277

PERON

Panama

  1.  

9236248

PHOENIX I

Panama

  1.  

9316701

PROGRESS V

Panama

  1.  

9197909

ROZA

Cameroon

  1.  

9230878

SA CAPRICORN

Singapore

  1.  

9041067

SERENITY

?

  1.  

9242118

SHANAYE QUEEN

Malaysia

  1.  

9263643

SONA STAR

Cook Islands

  1.  

9253064

SOTHYS

Vietnam

  1.  

9185530

SPAR

Panama

  1.  

9248813

TJATSE

Panama

  1.  

9248485

URANUS

?

  1.  

9224805

UZOR

Cameroon

  1.  

9233739

VETER

Cameroon

  1.  

9262156

VIGOR

Panama

  1.  

9236250

VIRGO

Panama

  1.  

9176761

VULA

Liberia

  1.  

9288095

WEN YAO

Panama