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| Type | Vessel | [sources] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | MIN HANG · Min Hang | [sources] | |||
| Build Date | [sources] | ||||
| Call Sign | E5U5075 | [sources] | |||
| Deadweight Tonnage | 158553 | [sources] | |||
| Description | In 2024, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil to third countries from russian ports in the Baltic Sea and the Pacific region. In November 2022, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) included the tanker in a public list of vessels suspected of involvement in the illegal transportation of Iranian oil. According to Lloyd's List, ІМО 9257137 is linked to anonymous Chinese buyers who spent about $376 million to purchase 13 tankers to carry out risky ship-to-ship transportation of russian oil in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Ship-to-shore logistics hubs are a common feature of the scheme, allowing for the concealment of ownership and origin of cargo. In addition to the mid-Atlantic STS hub, there are also areas near the ports of Kalamata (Greece), Malta, Ceuta, and the Caucasus where ship-to-ship operations have been established for russian oil. STS's operations in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean are outside the jurisdiction of port authorities, with limited technical and operational oversight, which increases safety and environmental concerns due to the unknown insurance and vessel ownership data. Lloyd's List has tracked five Aframax tankers, seven large oil carriers and one Suezmax vessel to an anonymous buyer through separate but related companies operating offshore Hong Kong and China that own similar vessels. The group of tankers was acquired between May and July 2022 for a total of $285 million, based on ship brokerage reports and market valuations. Since then, all but one of the tankers have been involved in the transshipment of russian oil cargoes at a high-risk transshipment hub located 860 nautical miles west of Portugal in international waters. The vessels purchased by the anonymous Chinese buyer are 15 years old or more, making it impossible for most major oil companies to charter them and impossible to obtain conventional financing. The shadow tanker fleet continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners, and poses significant environmental threats with significant economic costs to coastal countries and/or the international community due to the outdated and inadequate insurance of shadow fleet tankers. On December 03, 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the tanker. On May 20, 2025, the EU imposed sanctions, which enter into force on May 21, 2025, on the tanker for the transportation of crude oil/petroleum products originating in or exported from russia, using irregular high-risk shipping practices as specified in the International Maritime Organization General Assembly Resolution A.1192(33). On June 03, 2025, the sanctions imposed by Switzerland on the vessel came into force. On July 21, 2025, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the vessel. | [sources] | |||
| Flag | Cook Islands | [sources] | |||
| IMO Number | IMO9257137 | [sources] | |||
| MMSI | 518999094 | [sources] | |||
| Past Flags | Greece · Marshall Islands · Panama | [sources] | |||
| Previous name | Astro Cassiopeia · Auriga · Maran Cassiopeia | [sources] | |||
| Type | 20 · Crude Oil Tanker | [sources] | |||
| Source link | eur-lex.europa.eu · sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov | [sources] | |||
| Last change | Last processed | First seen | |||
Transport crude oil or petroleum products that originate in Russia or are exported from Russia while practicing irregular and high-risk shipping practices as set out in the International Maritime Organisation General Assembly resolution A.1192(33)
Shipping sanctions: a specified ship is prohibited from being provided with access to or having its master or pilot cause it to enter a port in the UK, may have its registration on the UK Ship Register terminated, and a master or pilot of a specified ship may be given a port barring direction, a detention direction, and a port entry direction or a movement direction.
The EU Sanctions Map is a visualisation of EU sanctions policy. It includes a broader set of policies and entities than the EU consolidated sanctions list.
European Union · Council
The primary United States' sanctions list, specially designated nationals (SDN) part.
United States · OFAC
Sponsors and accomplices of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine.
Ukraine · GUR
Official register of individuals, entities, and vessel subject to UK sanctions under regulations made pursuant to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.
United Kingdom · FCDO
Switzerland manages a sanctions lists with a high degree of detail on the individuals that are subject to it's embargoes
Switzerland · SECO
The Consolidated Screening List (CSL) is a list of parties for which the United States Government maintains restrictions on certain exports, re-exports, or transfers of items.
United States · ITA
Supplemental list of people, companies, and organizations sanctioned for involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
European Union · Council
eu-oj-5c3c591e1abc7422a3c68744b25dc8a83036ac56 · ua-ws-vessel-576 · ch-seco-92285 · gb-fcdo-rus2851 · ofac-51384 · ua-ws-486c51d1404da16c61c713decc52d4dcb2262715 · eu-sancmap-1dd8107d2e2f9ca95ad8512a910b0a977c285eb5For experts: raw data explorer
OpenSanctions is free for non-commercial users. Businesses must acquire a data license to use the dataset.
| Sanctions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Authority | Program | Start date | End date | |
| Switzerland | State Secretariat for Economic Affairs | - | |||
| Linked from | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Role | Start date | End date | |
| Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited Export controlled · Sanctioned entity | commerce_manager | - | ||
| Owners | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Percentage held | Start date | End date | |
| Ambra Limited Export controlled · Sanctioned entity | - | - | - | |
| Ukraine | ГУР МО України | Vessels involved in the transportation of weapons, stolen Ukrainian products and in the circumvention of sanctions | - | - |
| United Kingdom | Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · UK | Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 | - |
| United States | Office of Foreign Assets Control | Iran Sanctions | - | - |
| European Union | Council of the European Union | EU Designated Vessels (Council Regulation 833/2014) | - |
| Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited Export controlled · Sanctioned entity |
| security_manager |
| - |
| Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited Export controlled · Sanctioned entity | - | - | - |
| Ambra Limited Export controlled · Sanctioned entity | - | - |