The US government has imposed sanctions on numerous entities and vessels involved in the transport of Iranian oil. The US government alleged that the sale of the oil was being used to fund the militant and destabilizing activities of Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF). The 'Confidence P' (IMO: 9178044), 'Nova', 'Rival' (IMO: 9117818), and 'Tiyara' (IMO: 9231224), have also been placed under sanctions for their association with Abdul Jalil Mallah and his brother Luay al-Mallah, who was a recent addition to the sanctions list, while his brother, Abdul Jalil Mallah, has been described as being established in the illicit shipping business and frequently facilitating the transfer of Iranian oil for the benefit of Hezbollah and IRGD-QF. Both individuals and all their owned property have been sanctioned in the US jurisdiction. The Star Ocean Shipmanage Ltd. has been sanctioned, along with its three vessels: the 'Eternal Success' (IMO: 9307633), 'Eternal 8' (IMO: 9232448), and 'Eternal Peace' (IMO: 9259745), which were claimed to have carried out voyages that violated US sanctions on the IRGC-QF as recently as July 2024. The vessels reportedly have used deceptive practices, such as ship-to-ship transfers and AIS spoofing, to conceal their movements while transporting oil. The 'Serene I' (IMO: 9197832) has been sanctioned for loading and transporting IRGC-QF oil from Iran to China on behalf of Concepto Screen SAL Offshore, a company with alleged ties to Hezbollah. The owner of the tanker, the Dragon Road Ltd., based in the Marshall Islands, was also added to the sanctions list. The 'Feng Tau' (IMO: 9248473) was alleged to have been transporting oil from Iran to mainland China. Both the vessel and its Hong Kong-based owner, Tai Feng Hai Shipping Ltd., have been sanctioned.
News
SERENADE OF THE SEAS
The passengers on thre 'Serenade of the Seas' had to spend an extra two days at sea, which effectively turned a 7-night cruise into a 5-night cruise: Hurricane Helene, now a Category 3 storm, had forced the Port of Tampa to close temporarily while the storm made it impossible for ships to dock safely. The storm, which was expected to become a Category 4 hurricane, was set to make landfall on the night of Sep 26. The current cruise that was supposed to arrive back in Tampa on Sep 27. The ship was due to arrive in Tampa on Sep 29. Cruise passengers who booked flights directly through the cruise line automatically got their flights changed to the new dates. In addition, Royal Caribbean was taking care of the extra costs of airfare changes for guests who booked their own flights. The compensation for the flight adjustments were in the form of $200 refunds per person for domestic flights and up to $400 per person for those flying internationally.
RIVAL
The US government has imposed sanctions on numerous entities and vessels involved in the transport of Iranian oil. The US government alleged that the sale of the oil was being used to fund the militant and destabilizing activities of Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF). The 'Confidence P' (IMO: 9178044), 'Nova' (IMO: 9231224), 'Rival' (IMO: 9117818), and 'Tiyara' (IMO: 9231224), have also been placed under sanctions for their association with Abdul Jalil Mallah and his brother Luay al-Mallah, who was a recent addition to the sanctions list, while his brother, Abdul Jalil Mallah, has been described as being established in the illicit shipping business and frequently facilitating the transfer of Iranian oil for the benefit of Hezbollah and IRGD-QF. Both individuals and all their owned property have been sanctioned in the US jurisdiction. The Star Ocean Shipmanage Ltd. has been sanctioned, along with its three vessels: the 'Eternal Success' (IMO: 9307633), 'Eternal 8' (IMO: 9232448), and 'Eternal Peace' (IMO: 9259745), which were claimed to have carried out voyages that violated US sanctions on the IRGC-QF as recently as July 2024. The vessels reportedly have used deceptive practices, such as ship-to-ship transfers and AIS spoofing, to conceal their movements while transporting oil. The 'Serene I' (IMO: 9197832) has been sanctioned for loading and transporting IRGC-QF oil from Iran to China on behalf of Concepto Screen SAL Offshore, a company with alleged ties to Hezbollah. The owner of the tanker, the Dragon Road Ltd., based in the Marshall Islands, was also added to the sanctions list. The 'Feng Tau' (IMO: 9248473) was alleged to have been transporting oil from Iran to mainland China. Both the vessel and its Hong Kong-based owner, Tai Feng Hai Shipping Ltd., have been sanctioned.
USKO MFU
Ukrainian authorities have charged a second senior officer of the 'Usko MFU', who was detained since July for trading in Crimea , which was annexed by Russia. The region’s exiled prosecutors’ office, still under the control of the Kyiv government, filed charges against the man on Sep 25. He was facing up to five years in prison, as does the master of Azerbaijan nationality, who was commanding the ship when Ukraine arrested it in July. Kyiv has vowed to prosecute all vessels trading in Black Sea ports brought under Moscow’s control after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Ukraine managed to get its hands on the 'Usko MFU' because it sailed within the reach of Kyiv authorities just a few months after calling in Sevastopol in Crimea. The authorities seized the vessel in early July in the Danube near the Ukrainian port of Reni, where it has been held since. The ship had loaded more than 3,000 tonnes of agricultural products in Sevastopol in November 2023, destined to Turkey.
CONFIDENCE P
The US government has imposed sanctions on numerous entities and vessels involved in the transport of Iranian oil. The US government alleged that the sale of the oil was being used to fund the militant and destabilizing activities of Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF). The 'Confidence P', 'Nova', 'Rival' (IMO: 9117818), and 'Tiyara' (IMO: 9231224), have also been placed under sanctions for their association with Abdul Jalil Mallah and his brother Luay al-Mallah, who was a recent addition to the sanctions list, while his brother, Abdul Jalil Mallah, has been described as being established in the illicit shipping business and frequently facilitating the transfer of Iranian oil for the benefit of Hezbollah and IRGD-QF. Both individuals and all their owned property have been sanctioned in the US jurisdiction. The Star Ocean Shipmanage Ltd. has been sanctioned, along with its three vessels: the 'Eternal Success' (IMO: 9307633), 'Eternal 8' (IMO: 9232448), and 'Eternal Peace' (IMO: 9259745), which were claimed to have carried out voyages that violated US sanctions on the IRGC-QF as recently as July 2024. The vessels reportedly have used deceptive practices, such as ship-to-ship transfers and AIS spoofing, to conceal their movements while transporting oil. The 'Serene I' (IMO: 9197832) has been sanctioned for loading and transporting IRGC-QF oil from Iran to China on behalf of Concepto Screen SAL Offshore, a company with alleged ties to Hezbollah. The owner of the tanker, the Dragon Road Ltd., based in the Marshall Islands, was also added to the sanctions list. The 'Feng Tau' (IMO: 9248473) was alleged to have been transporting oil from Iran to mainland China. Both the vessel and its Hong Kong-based owner, Tai Feng Hai Shipping Ltd., have been sanctioned.