Iranian Watchdog NGO UANI Adds 23 Tankers to “Ghost Armada”

Marking the fifth anniversary of the publication of its listing of the “Ghost Armada,” the NGO United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is adding additional tankers to its listing of vessels supporting Iran’s oil exports. The NGO highlights that despite the sanction efforts, Iran continues to raise large sums from the sale of oil.

The group first released its listing in November 2020 and currently has a total of 560 vessels identified as supporting the Iranian oil trade. An additional 36 tankers that had previously participated in the trade are now listed as scrapped.

UANI is adding 23 additional sanction-evading vessels to its listing known as the “Ghost Armada,” a network of aging tankers that UANI reports are operating under opaque ownership structures, falsified documentation, and manipulated AIS signals to mask their cargo origin and destinations. It notes that 10 of the vessels are flagged in Panama, the largest vessel registry by the number of vessels, while others use different flags or false flags for their trade.

The group says the continued growth of the fleet “reinforces UANI’s commitment to spotlighting specific flag states, insurers, classification societies, and all maritime actors complicit in circumventing international law.”

Iran has continued to expand its oil and shipping networks and find new tactics to evade sanctions, with UANI asserting that the funds are being used to rebuild after the war with Israel and the American bombing earlier this year.

The group also recognized the ongoing efforts of the United States, including last week’s expansion of the sanctions against the networks supporting Iran’s oil trade. The U.S. also added additional tankers to its sanctions.

“UANI applauds President Trump and the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury for sanctioning this latest tranche of individuals, entities, and vessels which are funding the Iranian regime’s Armed Forces through the illicit sale of crude oil,” said UANI Chairman Governor Jeb Bush and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace. “In last week’s designations, the U.S. government sanctioned seven vessels which first appeared on UANI’s Ghost Armada list and that UANI recommended for sanctions: Pioneer Sam, Tusitala, Nexo, Al Siddeq, Aquaris, Ava 10, and Bodhi.”

UANI reports it will continue to monitor and expose tankers complicit in sanctions evasion through advanced satellite imagery, maritime data analysis, and open-source intelligence. At the same time, the group is again calling on the international community to blacklist these ships, deny them access to insurance and port services, and ensure comprehensive sanctions compliance across all maritime sectors.