Indian Coast Guard Busts Three Iran-Linked Shadow Fleet Tankers

The Indian Coast Guard intercepted and detained three oil tankers linked by analysts to Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet” in a major maritime security operation in the Arabian Sea, officials and maritime tracking sources say. The coordinated interdiction near 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai underscores India’s growing role in policing illicit oil trafficking and enforcing global sanctions regimes amid complex geopolitical pressures.
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The tankers — identified by shipping investigators as Al Jafzia, Asphalt Star, and Stellar Ruby — were boarded on February 5–6, 2026 after the Coast Guard tracked suspicious vessel movements using digital surveillance and pattern analysis. The ships are on the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions list for involvement in transporting Iranian petroleum through deceptive practices at sea.
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A High-Sea Interception
Indian Coast Guard patrol vessels and aircraft located and intercepted the trio of tankers in international waters off India’s west coast, with boarding teams conducting extensive searches and document verification. Authorities described the operation as a blend of real-time maritime intelligence, satellite tracking, and long-range surveillance.
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“The use of technology to detect anomalous vessel behavior enabled us to disrupt what appears to be a coordinated smuggling syndicate,” an Indian Coast Guard spokesperson said, highlighting the agency’s enhanced digital capabilities. The vessels are now being escorted toward Mumbai for formal legal proceedings and further investigation by customs and law enforcement agencies.
India Today
Shadow Fleet and Sanctions Evasion
The term “shadow fleet” refers to a network of tankers and associated shell companies used to transport Iranian petroleum in defiance of international sanctions — primarily those imposed by the United States. Ships in this fleet often engage in ship-to-ship transfers, disabling their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders, broadcasting false flags, or changing identities to conceal the origin and destination of cargoes.
According to tracking consultancy TankerTrackers.com, the seized vessels have histories of falsifying location data and shifting flags to mask their activities. Stellar Ruby, for instance, was flagged as an Iranian vessel, while Al Jafzia and Asphalt Star broadcast false identities and flags such as Guyana and Mali, respectively. All three are listed under the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions for Iran-linked maritime operations.
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U.S. authorities say the shadow fleet plays a crucial role in helping Tehran maintain oil revenues despite economic curbs, using intermediaries and deceptive logistics networks to bring crude and refined products to foreign buyers — including in Asia — without detection by regular shipping registries.
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Investigative Findings and Modus Operandi
Indian investigators uncovered evidence that the tankers were engaged in mid-sea transfers — a common tactic in illicit oil trades where cargo is moved at sea from larger tankers to smaller “motor” vessels to obfuscate cargo origin and avoid customs duties. Electronic records and crew interrogations indicated that the vessels repeatedly changed names, registry flags, and tracking patterns to evade maritime law enforcement and regulatory scrutiny.
India Today
Officials noted that the use of mid-sea transfers in international waters is not inherently illegal, but becomes unlawful when employed to conceal sanctions violations, evade taxes, or misrepresent cargo details. The Coast Guard’s search teams examined onboard documents, digital logs, and navigational data to piece together the syndicate’s methods and network connections.
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Strategic Implications
The bust marks one of the most significant maritime interdictions involving Iran-linked vessels near India’s coast, reinforcing New Delhi’s self-described role as a “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean Region. Indian authorities, who have been expanding their maritime surveillance footprint, said the operation illustrated their capability to act on complex intelligence and safeguard maritime trade routes against illicit actors.
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While Indian officials have not publicly confirmed Iranian state involvement, analysts note that Iran’s shadow fleet activities have global reach, underpinning Tehran’s efforts to sustain oil export revenues and circumvent sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies. The interdiction also aligns with U.S. pressure on international partners to enforce sanctions regimes and cut off revenue streams linked to prohibited oil sales.
Regional and International Responses
News of the bust drew attention from international maritime security experts and analysts tracking shadow fleet movements. Some analysts argued that the action could signal broader cooperation between India and Western agencies on enforcing sanctions and curbing illicit oil flows, though direct diplomatic coordination has not been officially confirmed. Observers also warned that such enforcement efforts could pose diplomatic tensions with oil-producing states that rely on non-traditional shipping networks to reach markets otherwise closed by sanction Iran International
Industry watchers said the interdiction highlights evolving risks in global oil logistics, where sanctioned entities increasingly resort to opaque shipping arrangements, turning the high seas into semi-regulated environments where illicit trades can thrive under the radar of global authorities.
Next Steps and Legal Proceedings
The three tankers — now under escort — are expected to face legal proceedings in India, where authorities will examine the full extent of sanctions violations, cargo manifests, and ownership ties. Customs investigators and prosecutors will likely pursue charges related to smuggling, misrepresentation of cargo, and sanctions evasion under Indian and international maritime law.
The investigation’s findings may also feed into wider international efforts to monitor and disrupt shadow fleet activities, dovetailing with sanctions enforcement and maritime security cooperation across multiple jurisdictions.
As the vessels make their way to port, the case stands as a reminder of how maritime trade and sanctions enforcement intersect in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, where naval patrols, digital surveillance, and legal frameworks converge to tackle illicit global networks.