Sandro Overseas

The Iranian-flagged Suezmax tanker Silvia I conducted a ship-to-ship transfer of roughly 500,000 barrels of crude oil to the Sandro tanker, just off Syria’s coast, on July 25. The Sandro turned off its transponder five days later and has not reported its position since. However, by using satellite imagery, TankerTrackers.com has tracked the vessel;

Sadro tanker is owned by Sandro by Sandro Overseas (Off Shore). Sandro Overseas owners are: Marwan Ramadan, Bilal Atris and Khalid Deeb;

Syria Report business newsletter, believe that Syrian executive Samer Foz is highly likely to be involved with Sandro Overseas (Off Shore) after the Syrian Oil Ministry awarded the company with a contract to process oil residues from eastern Syria, which has a very controversial move. Sandro Overseas (Off Shore) will replace Lebanese company Synergy SAL Offshore, which was also involved in Iranian oil shipments and was sanctioned by the US for this in June;

Synergy SAL (Offshore) and Sandro Overseas (Off Shore), both firms share the same address in downtown Beirut’s Al-Azarieh Building office complex, according to their corporate records. The National visited the address, a company providing virtual offices and co-working spaces. Neither Synergy SAL Offshore nor Sandro Overseas (Off Shore) were present at the location. Africo 1 (Off-Shore) also uses the Al-Azarieh Building as an address and was also not present at the office complex. In another indication of Mr Foz’s involvement, when The National phoned the number listed on a Synergy SAL Offshore letterhead, the recipient denied the number was for the company. Instead, the receptionist said the number belonged to a different Beirut-based firm that corporate records lists Mr Foz as a part-owner; (Source: The National, 8/11/2019).  (https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/web-of-lebanese-companies-may-be-shipping-iranian-oil-to-syria-1.897168)

Sandro and Jasmine tankers have been turning off their location transponders and conducting transfers of the Iranian oil to or from other vessels off the Syrian coast. Iran’s regime uses these tactics regularly to evade U.S. sanctions;