The United States sanctioned an India-based maritime registration network on November 4, 2026, accusing it of supplying fraudulent ship flags and certificates to vessels transporting Iranian petroleum. The Treasury Department identified Suniel Kumar Sharma and Jaspreet Preeti Shahid as the central figures in an operation that allegedly impersonated national maritime authorities across multiple continents, including Guyana, Eswatini, Aruba and Nicaragua. Four individuals and nine associated entities were designated, while a separate aviation-services company in Türkiye was targeted in the same enforcement announcement. Among the tankers connected to the alleged registration scheme were Ping Shun, Lattafa, Binary Star, Vera and Majestic X, the last of which was seized by U.S. forces in April while claiming a Guyana flag that the country's maritime administration declared fraudulent. The action was accompanied by a new OFAC warning to shipowners, insurers, ports and financial institutions about the risks of accepting unverified flag-state documentation.
ShipUniverse | Maritime Sanctions Intelligence
False Flags. Real Tankers. 13 New Sanctions Targets.
U.S. authorities say a network centered in India operated unauthorized maritime registries and issued documentation that enabled sanctioned oil tankers to present themselves as properly registered ships.
13
Network designations
Four individuals and nine entities in the Sharma-linked maritime network
2014
Earliest alleged activity
Treasury traces the network's registration activities to Dominica
Nov 4
U.S. action in 2026
OFAC designations accompanied by a new industry alert
How the alleged documentation problem reaches a vessel
Registration legitimacy chainA high-level description of the vulnerability alleged by Treasury
01 / ASSERTED AUTHORITY
Claims of national authorization
According to Treasury, the operators used registry names and websites purporting to represent governments and recognized maritime bodies.
02 / QUESTIONABLE DOCUMENTS
Registrations and certificates
Vessels allegedly received false flag documents and, in some cases, other maritime certification services without valid authorization.
03 / DOWNSTREAM EXPOSURE
Compliance failures at sea
Ports, insurers, financiers and charterers may encounter paperwork that does not establish a vessel's lawful registration or insurance status.
The diagram describes alleged misconduct, not a verified technical method used for every named vessel. A flag-state certificate must be authenticated with the actual competent administration.
Treasury identifies the first phase of activity associated with the network.
2021–2023
Revoked or disputed authority
Guyana terminated arrangements; a Singapore-based Eswatini registry company was established in 2023.
APR 23, 2026
Guyana rejects Majestic X flag
MARAD confirms the tanker seized in the Indian Ocean was not in its registry.
NOV 4, 2026
U.S. designates network
OFAC sanctions four individuals and nine associated entities and publishes a false-flag alert.
Important legal distinction: Treasury's November 4 action newly designated the people and companies associated with the network. The tankers identified in its narrative were existing sanctions-related examples, not five newly designated vessels in this action.
Evidence base: U.S. Treasury November 4, 2026 press release; OFAC SDN additions and industry alert; Guyana Maritime Administration April 23 statement. Allegations concerning individuals and entities are attributed to U.S. authorities.
ShipUniverse | Named Vessel Evidence Matrix
Five Tankers. Five Permanent IMO Identifiers.
U.S. Treasury connected these vessels to the false-flag network or its alleged registration services. The examples have different evidentiary histories and should not be treated as identical cases.
5
Named tanker examplesIdentified in Treasury's November 4 narrative
529
Global false-flag casesIMO-reported ships in the preceding year, April 2026 statement
0
New vessels designatedNovember 4 action specifically designated people and companies in this network
Individual vessels and public evidence
Scroll using the synchronized upper or lower scrollbar to examine each vessel's history and verification requirements.
Vessel
IMO number
Flag or registry connection
What the source establishes
Important qualification
Compliance verification
MAJESTIC X ex PHONIX
9198317
False Guyana flagGuyana MARAD directly repudiated the claimed registration.
U.S. forces boarded and seized the tanker in April 2026. Treasury says it carried Iranian oil at the time.
Earlier sanctions existed under PHONIX. The April interception and November designation action are separate events.
Match the hull's permanent IMO number, historical names, Guyana's April statement and existing sanctions records.
PING SHUN
9231901
Eswatini registry linkTreasury ties it to Eswatini Maritime Affairs and International Ship Registry.
Treasury states the tanker had transported multiple Iranian oil cargoes before its prior sanctioning.
The October/November historical flag position should not be inferred from the registry association alone.
Verify claimed flag directly with the sovereign administration and recheck existing sanctions entries.
LATTAFA
9245794
Fraudulent-service linkTreasury associates false registration with the Oceaniek-related network.
The department specifically identifies this sanctioned tanker as receiving false-flag services.
The release does not establish a verified current flag or name history for every relevant date.
Reconcile official flag records, registration dates and statutory certificates.
BINARY STAR
9380570
Fraudulent-service linkNamed among tankers connected to false-flag services.
Treasury identifies the ship by IMO number and notes its existing sanctions status.
Being named in the press release is not a new November 4 vessel designation.
Screen its permanent IMO number, current and past names, registry status and counterparties.
VERA
9304655
Fraudulent-service linkTreasury lists it alongside LATTAFA and BINARY STAR.
The department identifies the tanker as another sanctioned vessel receiving false-flag services.
No ship-specific insurance findings or contemporary flag certificate are provided in the announcement.
Obtain primary flag-state confirmation and independent insurer/class evidence.
CONTINUED TABLE / HORIZONTAL SCROLL
Where a false registration affects the commercial transaction
01 / OWNER OR MANAGER
Ship identity and flag authority
The registration certificate must come from an authorized administration. A registration agent's incorporation and professional-looking website do not prove delegation.
02 / INSURER OR FINANCIER
Cover and sanctions exposure
P&I status, liability certificates, beneficial ownership and potential sanctions restrictions need independent validation.
03 / PORT OR TERMINAL
Entry, compliance and delay
An unverified flag or questionable statutory certificates can require further checks, disrupt a port call or expose parties to regulatory action.
04 / CHARTERER OR CARGO OWNER
Contract and cargo performance
Registration disputes can affect vessel acceptance, cargo timing, documentary obligations and commercial recourse under individual contracts.
Scope note: These vessel names and IMO numbers come from U.S. Treasury's November 4 account. The separate IMO statistic of 529 false-flagged ships is worldwide, not a Sharma-network vessel total. A ship's reported flag and sanctions status can change, so this is not a live vessel screening service.
ShipUniverse Interactive Tool | Registration Due Diligence
Can This Vessel's Flag Actually Be Verified?
Work through the evidence a charterer, port or maritime service provider should obtain before relying on a vessel's registration documents. Test hypothetical financial exposure where verification problems lead to delay or liability questions.
01 / IMO identity check
The example uses Majestic X / former PHONIX (IMO 9198317).
No number entered. An IMO check digit can confirm number structure, but not the ship's registry or sanctions status.
The historical Treasury reference covers five specified tanker identifiers. A missing match does not imply sanctions clearance.
02 / Independent documentary checks
Official flag-state confirmationRegistration verified directly with the competent administration or recognized authorized delegate
Registry and statutory certificatesOriginal documents checked for current validity, issuer authority and vessel identity
Class and recognized-organization statusClass status and any flag-state delegation verified with original authorities
P&I and liability coverCurrent entry, insurer identity, policy scope and applicable certificates independently confirmed
Sanctions and ownership screeningLatest applicable lists, aliases, IMO, managers and beneficial ownership independently examined
AIS, MMSI and flag consistencyReported country codes, flag history and vessel particulars reconciled
Cargo and transaction documentsCharterer, cargo provenance, counterparties and transaction records examined
Statuses are manually selected by the reader. The tool does not authenticate any document or query a live sanctions database.
03 / Verification triage result
Documentation status
Hold for independent verification
The documentation checks remain unverified. Do not treat the vessel's flag as confirmed from this assessment.
0Checks reported as verified
7Checks still pending
0Reported discrepancies
04 / Hypothetical financial exposure
Combined illustrative unrecovered exposure
$1.39m
Downtime, additional costs and the portion of a hypothetical claim assumed not to be recovered. These are user-entered scenarios, not actual losses.
Financial breakdown
Disruption and downtime$315,000
Legal, inspection and response$175,000
Unrecovered incident liability$900,000
Illustrative combined exposure$1.39m
Sensitivity / hypothetical claim recoverability
0% recovery$3.49m
50% recovery$1.99m
100% recovery$490k
ShipUniverse Compliance Disclaimer: This is an offline educational due-diligence organizer, not a registry search, live OFAC screening system, vessel certification service, insurance verification or legal opinion. The IMO check-digit calculation validates only the format of a seven-digit number, not whether it belongs to the ship presented. Named vessel references are historical and limited to Treasury's November 4 announcement. Even seven manually marked checks do not constitute sanctions clearance. Escalate discrepancies to the competent flag administration, insurer, legal/compliance advisers and relevant authorities. The financial model does not establish actual coverage, liability, policy exclusions or the probability of an incident. No entered information is transmitted by this module.
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