{
  "id": 19228960,
  "title": "Iran Expands Its Use of Fraudulent Ship Registries to Evade Sanctions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/iran-expands-its-use-of-fraudulent-ship-registries-to-evade-sanctions",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T22:00:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hellenic Shipping News",
    "slug": "hellenic-shipping-news",
    "url": "https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/iran-expands-its-use-of-fraudulent-ship-registries-to-evade-sanctions/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent surge in the use of fraudulent ship registries by Iranian-linked vessels to circumvent sanctions has come to light. Over the past 90 days, nearly 300 ships of this nature have been detected, prompting an alert from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This trend has intensified over the past 18 months, expanding beyond tankers to include various types of vessels. According to Windward, a tracking company, 278 ships have utilized 23 fraudulent registries in the Middle East Gulf, Indian Ocean, and Gulf of Oman between August 6 and November 5. The most commonly used fraudulent registry is that of Nicaragua, employed by 53 ships, followed by Anguilla (39) and the Netherlands Caribbean (27). Among these, 68% were tankers, with 171 being sanctioned. Notably, 22 of the 38 general cargo ships used fake Anguilla registries, as did 10 of the 11 landing crafts, including one naval landing craft. The average age of these vessels was 26 years. Guyana was the flag for five of the seven containerships identified. LPG tankers made up 17% of the total. In the same region during the previous year, 268 vessels used fraudulent ship registries, but the proportion of cargo vessels has tripled, now totaling 38 compared to 11. The Iranian 'stateless' tankers, which were previously heavily reliant on fraudulent registries, have seen a decline since July 2025 due to the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. OFAC has identified a network based in India that sold fraudulent flags to Iranian ships, targeting vessel owners and operators who evade U.S. sanctions.",
  "summary": "Nearly 300 Iranian-Linked Ships Sail Under Fraudulent Flags Nearly 300 Iranian-linked ships have been tracked using fraudulent ship registries over the past 90 days to evade sanctions, an accelerating issue that triggered an OFAC alert alongside sanctions imposed on key enablers and companies. Russia has largely discontinued using fraudulent ship registries for sanctions-evading tankers over ...",
  "key_points": [
    "Nearly 300 Iranian-linked ships used fraudulent registries in 90 days, per OFAC alert.",
    "Nicaragua was the most common fraudulent registry, used by 53 ships.",
    "Cargo vessels using fake registries tripled compared to previous year."
  ],
  "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."
}