VLCC among three tankers sold for scrap as shadow fleet clear-out gains momentum

"While the 300,000-dwt crude carrier Itaugua (built 1997), the 105,000-dwt crude carrier Enzo (built 1999), and the 47,000-dwt product tanker Rialto (built 1998) have never been officially sanctioned by the US treasury department nor the EU, all appear on pressure group United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) list of vessels accused of carrying sanctioned Iranian cargoes. Their sales follow closely on the sale of an accused shadow fleet VLCC, the 299,000-dwt Amor (built 2000), which on 23 December became the first VLCC reported as being sold for recycling since August 2022. The Itaugua, Enzo and Rialto bear all the hallmarks of shadow fleet vessels. "