Inside the US flag verification boarding of M/T Wan Yao, a suspected Iranian oil tanker
The US naval blockade against Iran saw US Marines board the M/T Wan Yao, a suspected "shadow fleet" oil tanker, in the Sea of Oman
US Central Command forces conducted a flag verification boarding of the M/T Wan Yao oil tanker in the Sea of Oman as part of an ongoing naval blockade, suspecting it was transporting Iranian oil. The operation involved US Marines boarding the vessel, which had reportedly used false flags and name changes, suggesting it might be part of Iran's 'shadow fleet' designed to evade sanctions.
US Central Command forces conducted a flag verification boarding of the M/T Wan Yao oil tanker in the Sea of Oman as part of an ongoing naval blockade, suspecting it was transporting Iranian oil. The operation involved US Marines boarding the vessel, which had reportedly used false flags and name changes, suggesting it might be part of Iran's 'shadow fleet' designed to evade sanctions.
US Central Command forces conducted a flag verification boarding of the M/T Wan Yao oil tanker in the Sea of Oman as part of an ongoing naval blockade, suspecting it was transporting Iranian oil. The operation involved US Marines boarding the vessel, which had reportedly used false flags and name changes, suggesting it might be part of Iran's 'shadow fleet' designed to evade sanctions.
The US Central Command on Thursday released images of US soldiers on the deck of an oil tanker which had allegedly been transporting Iranian oil. A statement from CENTCOM said its forces inspected 25 tankers of the M/T Wan Yao in the Sea of Oman, as part of the naval blockade.
The statement by CENTCOM said US Marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade. The Marines from the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group intercepted and boarded the vessel using helicopters to access the deck of the 300,000 dwt tanker Wan Yao. The operation was a flag verification boarding, according to U.S. Central Command.
Interestingly, the vessel itself triggered a mystery with tanker-tracking platform TankerTrackers, stating the tanker changed its name from "Lan Jing" to "Ajin" while being chased.
As for its flag, Wen Yao is falsely flagged in San Marino but later was seen flying an Iranian flag by the time of the Marines boarding it. Though the tanker's most recent name is Chinese, she is owned and operated in Dubai, a popular hub for shadow fleet ship management, according to reports.
The US Marines have been boarding the vessel to divert Iran-bound traffic since the restart of the blockade. While three vessels were redirected with warnings, one was disabled with Hellfire missiles.
The vessel could be among the shadow fleet owned and operated by Iran to transport oil. Earlier, there were reports that Iran was making preparations to deploy a complex network of vessels in its bid to evade United States military forces and break the reimposed naval blockade on its ports.
According to Israeli website JFeed, the latest data hinted that 23 Iranian vessels are currently operating within the Strait of Hormuz. They resort to the use of false flags and advanced technological manipulations, which include turning off their location transponders to transform into ghost ships. The report added that 10 of these vessels are currently carrying heavy crude oil cargo, while the remaining ships are moving empty in an attempt to deceive patrolling American forces.