US Central Command reportedly fires on oil tanker M/T Belma near Iran, resuming naval blockade
The reported strike on a sanctioned crude oil tanker signals an escalation in US enforcement of Iran sanctions, with potential ripple effects across energy and crypto markets.
The M/T Belma is no stranger to sanctions watchlists. The vessel, a 2005-built Very Large Crude Carrier with a deadweight tonnage of 299,988, has been identified in sanctions databases for its role in transporting Iranian crude oil through ship-to-ship transfers, a hallmark of what’s commonly known as the “shadow fleet.”
A sanctioned vessel with a long paper trail
The Belma, registered under IMO number 9289491, has been tracked operating in the Arabian Gulf and was previously flagged under Curaçao/Sint Maarten. Its connections to the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) have been well documented.
The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has referenced the vessel in regulatory actions dating back to at least October 2024.
Iran’s shadow fleet operates through layers of shell companies and complex ownership structures, often involving entities connected to the National Iranian Oil Company. These vessels conduct ship-to-ship transfers at sea, essentially passing crude between tankers to obscure the origin of the cargo before it reaches buyers.