Tanker Tracking

On September 25, the United States slapped more sanctions on entities and individuals connected to Iran's petroleum sector—by far the regime’s most important financial lifeline. The U.S.

On August 7, Israel’s National Bureau for Counter-Terror Financing (NBCTF), part of the Ministry of Defense, sanctioned 18 tankers for their involvement in the illicit trade of Iranian oil, marking Israel’s first-ever shipping sanctions.  Several of the vessels—with a total deadweight of almost 1.88 million tons—were engaged in “dark” (i.e., transponder-disabled) ship-to-ship (STS) transfers with another U.S.-sanctioned vessel off the Syrian coast. According to Israeli officials, these oil sales were likely overseen by the IRGC-Quds Force.

China is principally responsible for keeping the Iranian regime in business through oil purchases that have totaled over $100 billion since President Biden assumed office in January 2021 to December 2023. Four in every five barrels of exported Iranian oil go to China. This is despite U.S. sanctions that were reimposed in 2019 and maintained under the present administration, with the stated aim of reducing Iranian oil exports to zero.

Updated: August 28, 2024

In the complex world of maritime trade, Protection and Indemnity (P&I) clubs play a crucial role. As large pooled mutual insurance organizations, they provide coverage for a wide range of risks that traditional marine insurers would be hesitant to cover, including environmental damage like oil spills, war-related risks, cargo damage claims, and crew injuries. Absent this insurance, vessels cannot legally operate in international waters. 

For more than six years, through dozens of private letters and a lot of public exposure, UANI has led the campaign to compel Panama to stop flagging vessels involved in transporting Iran’s sanctioned oil.  Evidently, our efforts have begun to bear fruit: since January 2024, the Maritime Authority of Panama (AMP) has deleted some 109 vessels from its registry.

As the U.S. continues to apply sanctions aimed at curbing Iranian oil exports—most recently on June 25—the regime in Tehran continues to get around them. One underreported tactic involves using Chinese shipyards to repair and maintain its fleet of tankers.

Updated: June 30, 2024

In this month’s update, we note with approval that the Panama Maritime Authority is making significant progress in cleaning up its registry by deleting at least 32 vessels suspected of transporting Iranian oil. This has been a key request from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) since 2020. Panama’s proactive measures represent a step toward curbing Iran’s deceptive shipping practices and cutting off a vital revenue stream used to fund its terrorist activities. Nonetheless, at least 130 vessels on the Panama registry require further scrutiny and potential action.