OFAC Sanctions Ships and Their Owners for Supplying Oil to Houthis
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned three vessels and their owners for supporting the Yemen-based Houthis and the group's attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, including by supplying them with oil shipments.
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OFAC said Zaas Shipping & Trading Co., which is registered in the Marshall Islands, helped move liquid petroleum gas to the Houthi-controlled port of Ras Isa using the San Marino-flagged Tulip BZ on April 10. The agency also sanctioned Mauritius-registered Bagsak Shipping Inc. for delivering oil to the port using the Panama-flagged Maisan as recently as April 8 and the Marshall Islands-registered Great Success Shipping Co. for delivering oil using the Panama-flagged White Whale as recently as Apri 17.
OFAC also updated the names of two sanctioned tankers. The Clipper was formerly known as the Queen Luca and was sanctioned in 2022 for its ties to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force sanctions evasion network. The Akoya Gas was formerly known as Gas Allure, and it was also designated in 2022 for its ties to Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum sales. OFAC said the Akoya Gas was at berth in a Houthi-controlled port in Yemen earlier this month.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, praised the announcement. “Another great move by the Trump Administration to disrupt the Houthi terrorists’ operations,” Risch tweeted. “America’s foot must stay on the gas until all of Iran’s proxies are dismantled.”