The Maduro-Khamenei Oil Alliance: List of Foreign Flagged Vessels Shipping Iranian and Venezuelan Oil
Updated: June 30, 2024
On June 11, 2022, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and former 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, with Iran supplying over 12 million barrels of crude oil and gas condensate in 2023. In exchange, Venezuela has delivered about the same volume of fuel oil cargo to Iran. Most shipments are carried by National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) vessels in both directions: once Iranian crude and gas are discharged into Venezuelan ports, the same NITC tankers load Venezuelan fuel oil on the return leg to China.
However, a significant number of non-NITC, foreign-flagged (i.e., not Iranian) vessels are also involved in the trade. Furthermore, 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 involved in shipping both Iranian oil and Venezuelan oil since 2019. As of June 30, 2024, UANI has documented 88 vessels that have transported both Iranian and Venezuelan oil and oil products through direct loadings or via ship-to-ship transfers. That represents one-fifth of the vessels on UANI’s ‘Ghost Armada.’
| International Maritime Organization (IMO) Number | Vessel Name | Flag |
9213313 | Gabon | ||
9244635 | Eswatini (False) | ||
9248813 | Hong Kong | ||
9181194 | ? | ||
9262754 | Cameroon | ||
9233753 | ? | ||
9123192 | Panama | ||
9235244 | Cameroon | ||
9230880 | Panama | ||
9262168 | ? | ||
9292163 | Cook Islands | ||
9199127 | Panama | ||
9232876 | Barbados | ||
9213296 | Panama | ||
9240512 | Barbados | ||
9304655 | Cook Islands | ||
9229439 | Sao Tome & Principe | ||
9102277 | ? | ||
9247986 | Panama | ||
9273052 | Gabon | ||
9194139 | Sao Tome & Principe (False) | ||
9251951 | Djibouti | ||
9248473 | Panama | ||
9263643 | Cook Islands | ||
9257802 | Cook Islands | ||
9256468 | ? | ||
9290775 | Barbados | ||
9363833 | Vietnam | ||
9259599 | ? | ||
9326720 | Vietnam | ||
9304356 | Comoros | ||
9171448 | Sao Tome & Principe | ||
9227443 | Vietnam | ||
9144067 | Cameroon | ||
9183271 | Cameroon | ||
9283801 | Panama | ||
9176761 | Indonesia | ||
9188788 | ? | ||
9254082 | Panama | ||
9212759 | ? | ||
9247792 | Panama | ||
9258521 | Panama | ||
9203277 | ? | ||
9174220 | Panama | ||
9266750 | Liberia | ||
9271406 | Panama | ||
9311270 | Cook Islands | ||
9234666 | Panama | ||
9179701 | ? | ||
9439058 | Gabon | ||
9242120 | Panama | ||
9224295 | Sao Tome & Principe | ||
9234642 | ? | ||
9192260 | Cameroon | ||
9224805 | Cameroon | ||
9102239 | ? | ||
9241114 | Panama | ||
9236248 | Panama | ||
9198317 | ? | ||
9316701 | Cook Islands | ||
9144782 | Cameroon | ||
9197909 | Cameroon | ||
9230878 | Singapore | ||
9436006 | Panama | ||
9185530 | Guyana (False) | ||
9294240 | Hong Kong | ||
9270517 | ? | ||
9197832 | Panama | ||
9041057 | ? | ||
9242118 | Malaysia | ||
9304667 | Guyana (False) | ||
9253064 | Vietnam | ||
9237632 | Hong Kong | ||
9194127 | Guyana | ||
9235476 | Panama | ||
9222443 | ? | ||
9248485 | ? | ||
9248497 | ? | ||
9199828 | ? | ||
9233739 | Cameroon | ||
9208136 | Vietnam | ||
9262156 | Panama | ||
9236250 | ? | ||
9288095 | Cook Islands | ||
9247431 | Panama | ||
9263215 | Panama | ||
9331244 | Panama | ||
9018464 | Tanzania |
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Eye on Iran is a news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a section 501(c)(3) organization. Eye on Iran is available to subscribers on a daily basis or weekly basis.