US Slaps Sanctions on 14 Iran-Linked Shadow Fleet Oil Tankers
The US State Department has imposed fresh sanctions on 14 shadow fleet oil tankers, including the Indian-owned tanker “Benedict” (imo-9293155/”>IMO: imo-9293155/”>9293155), owned by Elevate Marine Management Private Limited. The Benedict, which has been involved in shadow fleet activities since January 2024, is among the vessels blacklisted by the US.
According to the State Department, the Cameroon-flagged crude oil tanker had transported Iranian petroleum products at least three times between September and November 2025. Akash Anant Shinde, an Indian national identified as the director of the maritime firm, has also been sanctioned by association with it. Shinde and Elevate Marine Management have been sanctioned under Executive Order (EO) 13846, and he was added to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List under the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The Benedict is not a new name in the shadow fleet scene; it has flown multiple flags in the past, including those from Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Gambia, and Panama. The tanker has also gone by various names, such as Asian Jade, KWK Jade, Davis Sea, Wonder Vega, and Junia, before getting its current name.
Benedict‘s History of Shadow Fleet Activities
The vessel has allegedly been involved in shadow fleet activities since January 2024, moving Russian oil according to an Ukrainian government portal tracking sanctioned ships. The portal also notes that the Benedict has a history of switching off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders to essentially go dark—a key trait of dark fleet/shadow fleet ships.
Currently, the tanker is anchored at Malaysia’s Port Klang after completing a journey from the Hudaidah Port in Yemen. However, THE WEEK could not immediately verify this AIS data as the portal points out that the vessel has a history of switching off its AIS transponders to essentially go dark—a key trait of dark fleet/shadow fleet ships.
US Sanctions Aimed at Cutting Off Iranian Regime’s Revenue Streams
The US sanctions come amid escalating naval tensions between the two nations, with Tehran using the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to seize vessels accused of smuggling fuel and Washington maintaining a carrier strike group in the Middle East. The US State Department has stated that these targets have generated revenue that the regime uses to conduct its malign activities.
Thomas Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, declared in a statement, “So long as Iranian regime attempts to evade sanctions and generate oil and petrochemical revenues to fund such oppressive behavior and support terrorist activities and proxies, the United States will act to hold both the Iranian regime and its partners accountable.”
Original Article: Indian-owned tanker ‘Benedict’ among 14 Iran-linked shadow fleet ships hit with new US oil sanctions- The Week — Theweek