{
  "id": 13800376,
  "title": "Sanctioned ships taking Nicaraguan numbers are doing it near Hormuz",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/sanctioned-ships-taking-nicaraguan-numbers-are-doing-it-near-hormuz",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-11T21:00:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hellenic Shipping News",
    "slug": "hellenic-shipping-news",
    "url": "https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/sanctioned-ships-taking-nicaraguan-numbers-are-doing-it-near-hormuz/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Between August 1st and September 26th, ten listed ships switched to Nicaraguan MMSI numbers, with eight of them first heard around the Strait of Hormuz. No other new flag was as prevalent. Sanctions lists are checked using a ship's nine-digit MMSI number, which starts with three digits representing the country. The Strait of Hormuz, marked in a report, was analyzed for any ships that changed their flag during this period. The report found that none of the Nicaraguan numbers were on the sanctions list for the respective ships. For instance, the ship DANUTA I, listed under 511101556 by the US, was first heard broadcasting the name NAUTILUS I 26 nautical miles from the strait on September 26th. A map exists detailing every identity change over the eight-week period, with each ship having two marks: a hollow ring representing the last known number and a solid dot marking the first Nicaraguan number. Some ships, like PARVATI and SEA HERMES, switched numbers without changing location. Others, like FENGSHUN, returned to the same spot after changing their number. Some MMSI numbers remained unchanged, such as those of ADA and DANUTA I, which were last heard off Malaysia, about 3,000 nautical miles away. Some MMSI numbers changed ownership, such as the two Angolan numbers becoming 350626000 and 350641000, and the two Madagascan ones becoming 350622000 and 350638000. Seven ships with the same owner, listed on the US sanctions list, switched to Nicaraguan numbers. However, the report does not reveal where the ships switched their MMSI numbers, who issued the new registration papers, or their intent behind the change.",
  "summary": "Between 1 August and 26 September we heard 10 listed ships switch to a Nicaraguan MMSI, and 8 of them were first heard on the new number in one box around the Strait of Hormuz. No other new flag comes close. None of the new numbers is one a list publishes. A ship’s MMSI is ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}