On 4 November 2026, OFAC took another major step against the Dark Fleet by designating several false flag registries and their owners. The US Treasury sanctioned an India-based network led by Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, as part of Operation Economic Outcast. Two associates and nine companies and organisations were also targeted, including Singapore-based Eswatini Maritime Affairs and International Ship Registry PTE Ltd.
For years, the Dark Fleet has used complicit flag registries that cater primarily or exclusively to vessels engaged in sanctions evasion. It has also relied on so-called ‘false flags’: private companies that falsely claim to provide flagging services on behalf of a host nation.
According to the Treasury, the network impersonated maritime authorities in Guyana, Eswatini, Laos, Aruba, Nicaragua and Sint Maarten, in a scheme dating back to at least 2014. Singapore-based Eswatini Maritime Affairs continued registering vessels carrying Iranian oil even after Eswatini’s authorities publicly disavowed it. Among the vessels the Treasury cited is the MAJESTIC X, which US forces seized in April while it was carrying Iranian oil under a fraudulent Guyana flag.
‘These designations were long overdue, as false flags give vessels the appearance of legitimacy,’ says David Tannenbaum, a former OFAC official and director of Deep Blue Intelligence, our premier threat intelligence unit that tracks maritime sanctions evasion. ‘However, as stateless – and often decrepit and uninsured – vessels, they have no business being on the water.’
The designations are part of a wider trend by the US, EU and UK to target not only the vessels and owners engaged in sanctions evasion, but also the infrastructure that supports the Dark Fleet. Nor is this the first time the operators of a flag registry have been sanctioned. The EU previously designated Intershipping Services, a private company that managed both the Gabon and Comoros registries and flagged significant portions of the Dark Fleet.
Authorities have also recently targeted insurers, terminal operators and, most recently, a law firm providing corporate formation services to the Dark Fleet. ‘The US government isn’t being subtle with this designation,’ said Tannenbaum. ‘The State Department also published a press release warning other registries to deflag Dark Fleet vessels.’
OFAC has also published an advisory on the risks of false flag registries, setting out red flags that all companies should know. These include dealing with vessels that have no reported flag, engage in flag hopping or use the MMSI prefix of a different country. The advisory also points to registration documents that cannot be verified and to vessels claiming flags from countries without recognised ship registries. It warns that companies providing services to vessels under fraudulent flags could face sanctions or penalties.
In practical terms, financial institutions, commodities traders, maritime service providers and other companies working in the maritime industry are now expected to screen not just the vessel, but its flag. All these organisations should also be aware of other registries serving the Dark Fleet, as these may be sanctioned in future.
There is a safety dimension too: the Treasury has warned that falsely flagged vessels could expose coastal nations to billions of dollars in environmental and economic damage after a major casualty.
Staying ahead of flag-related risk
PurpleTRAC, Pole Star Global’s award-winning vessel screening and tracking solution, automatically flags vessels that change flag frequently or have no flag association. You can also choose which flags trigger alerts.
Behind it, Deep Blue Intelligence monitors vessels using high-risk and false flags, with a full intelligence narrative on each. Together with Pole Star Global, it works routinely with legitimate flag registries to help keep vessels sanctions-compliant and safe at sea. Deep Blue Intelligence subscribers also receive advisories, high-risk flag insights and sanctions evasion training.
Speak to our team to see how PurpleTRAC can protect your fleet.