UANI Expands Ghost Armada List with 14 Additional Sanctions-Evading Vessels

(New York, N.Y.) – United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is announcing the addition of 14 vessels to its Ghost Armada list. 

These 14 vessels added to UANI’s Ghost Armada are: LIAN (IMO 9266841); CRYSTAL (IMO 9223887); SYNDRA (IMO 9321976); SKADI (IMO 9230971); BENEDICT (IMO 9293155); YOKO 1 (IMO 9241085); KATE (IMO 9292826); RANGLER (IMO 9206671); LUNA LUSTER (IMO 9292187); SPRITE (IMO 9252333); ZHEN ZHU (IMO 9290359); MABROUK (IMO 9232864); HAISHEN (IMO 9286138); and MAGNOLIA (IMO 9258519).

UANI has evidence that these 14 vessels have transported Iranian oil, relying on shell companies, falsified records, and spoofed AIS signals to evade international scrutiny and conceal the origin of their sanctioned cargoes.

Each vessel sails under a false flag or pirate registry, where certain flag states routinely register dark fleet tankers without accountability. These flags enable operations with minimal regulatory oversight, evading international maritime scrutiny. Increasingly, UANI is seeing more vessels sailing under false or unknown flags—a tactic used to "ghost" their way through international waters. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), every ship must be registered to a Flag State. A stateless ship enjoys no legal protection or right of freedom of navigation under the convention. This lack of transparency not only emboldens illicit oil trades but significantly increases environmental and safety risks, as these aging vessels often lack proper maintenance and insurance.

UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace noted:

“Each ship listed on the Ghost Armada represents a critical link in Iran’s effort to circumvent international sanctions and export Iranian oil, primarily to China. The revenue generated from this trade directly funds the Iranian regime’s drone, missile, and nuclear programs. Furthermore, these profits also sustain the domestic security apparatus responsible for suppressing recent protests, a crackdown that has resulted in thousands of deaths and ongoing human rights abuses.”

UANI calls on the international community, maritime companies, and port authorities to:

• Blacklist these identified ships immediately.
• Deny them access to maritime insurance and essential port services.
• Prevent them from conducting Ship-to-Ship operations in waters under the jurisdiction of Coastal States.
• Share information with International Maritime Organization (IMO), other national authorities and shipping industry stakeholders.
• Ensure comprehensive sanctions compliance across all global maritime sectors.

The updated Ghost Armada list is available here and will continue to expand as UANI tracks additional ships smuggling sanctioned Iranian oil.