A Chinese-owned oil tanker appears to have swapped names mid-journey in an attempt to evade U.S. sanctions.
The very large crude carrier Pacific Bravo was sailing from the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran toward the Strait of Malacca when its transponder shut off, known as going dark, and hid the vessel’s location from satellite tracking, according to Reuters.
Before Pacific Bravo went dark, U.S. officials had warned ports in Asia that the vessel was carrying Iranian crude in violation of U.S. sanctions.
More than 40 days later, a VLCC called Latin Venture appeared off the coast of Port Dickson, Malaysia, in the Strait of Malacca. Latin Venture’s ship identification number matched the number of Pacific Bravo, suggesting that they are the same vessel.
“Without speculating on any particular shipowner’s actions, generally speaking for a ship to change its name abruptly after receiving accusations from the U.S., it can only be that the owner is hopeful that the market will be deceived by something as rudimentary as a name change,” Dubai-based oil broker Matt Stanley told Reuters.
Not only had the vessel’s name changed, but the ship’s transponder also reported its cargo empty. The whereabouts of the vessel’s shipment of Iranian crude could not be determined.
The ship’s identification number links the vessel with a company headquartered in Shanghai, Kunlun Holdings.
Going dark is one of several common methods of shippers avoiding sanctions. Ships will go dark before docking, take on or offload cargo, and leave before turning their transponders back on, making tracking difficult.
Another method for avoiding sanctions is a ship-to-ship transfer. Ships carrying sanctioned cargo will transfer it to another vessel while both are out to sea and out of sight, obscuring the origin of the cargo. The Strait of Malacca is a common spot for such transfers to take place.
