Three of five Iranian tankers struck by the U.S. belonged to Russia’s shadow fleet, - Vlasiuk
Three of the five tankers struck by the U.S. military on September 8 were linked to the Russian shadow fleet and were transporting Russian oil.
This was stated by Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the president’s representative on sanctions policy, according to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform.
Details
"Of the five tankers targeted by the U.S. military on September 8, three have direct ties to the Russian shadow fleet—namely, the Kaviz, the Charminar, and the Riesco. These tankers were transporting Russian oil, calling at Russian ports, and were being used to operate under sanctions," he noted.
The Kaviz called at Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk, transported Russian oil, and had a history of turning off its AIS tracking system. The vessel was linked to Fractal Marine DMCC—a company identified as one of the key operators of the Russian shadow fleet in the early years following the imposition of oil sanctions.
According to Vlasiuk, the vessel Charminar called at Ust-Luga, Primorsk, Vysotsk, and St. Petersburg. After the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Fractal Marine, vessels associated with the company began to be transferred to other managers, but operations involving Russian oil continued.
The Charminar is linked to a shipping empire controlled by Iranian oil magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, which handles both Iranian and Russian oil.
The tanker Riesco transported both Russian and Iranian oil, including through transshipments with other sanctioned tankers.
All three vessels are subject to sanctions imposed by Ukraine and the United States, while the Kaviz is also subject to sanctions imposed by the EU, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland.
