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Business records and tracking data indicate that two shadowy Lebanon-based companies who own and operate tankers have been secretly transporting Iranian oil in the Mediterranean, while analysis of one company suggests the man running the operation may be a prominent Syrian businessman sanctioned by the United States.<\/p>\n
TankerTrackers.com data shows that the 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\u2019s regime uses these tactics regularly to evade U.S. sanctions.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Likewise, the Jasmine, which was already on the US government\u2019s radar as a result of illicit activities, also went dark in the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
Both ships are owned by Lebanese firms; Sandro by Sandro Overseas (Off Shore) and Jasmine by. Africo 1 (Off-Shore) SAL, but little is known about them. The listed Lebanese owners of these companies \u2013 Marwan Ramadan, Bilal Atris and Khalid Deeb \u2013 could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n
Some, like the 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.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Treasury said in a press release: \u201cSynergy SAL (Offshore) has shipped tens of thousands of metric tons of Iranian oil into Syria in the past year by sea.\u201d<\/p>\n