BRIGHT GOLD
Vessel designated on OFAC SDN list 19 May 2026 as an Iran-linked procurement shell.
Last refreshed: 19 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why does OFAC keep designating shell tankers while leaving Chinese refineries untouched?
Timeline for BRIGHT GOLD
Designated vessel in OFAC 19 May SDN round
Iran Conflict 2026: OFAC SDN round skips mainland refineries again- What is the BRIGHT GOLD vessel on the OFAC SDN list?
- BRIGHT GOLD is a vessel designated by OFAC on 19 May 2026 as part of an Iran-linked shipping procurement network. Full technical details including IMO number and flag state are not confirmed in publicly available sources.Source: OFAC SDN list, 19 May 2026
- Why are shell tankers sanctioned instead of Chinese refineries buying Iranian oil?
- OFAC targets flags-of-convenience Shell vessels because sanctioning Chinese state refineries would constitute an escalation against a P5 member. The May 2026 SDN rounds consistently add Shell vessels while leaving mainland Chinese refinery offtake untouched.Source: event
Background
BRIGHT GOLD is a vessel designated by OFAC on 19 May 2026 as part of a broader SDN round targeting Iran-linked shipping networks. The designation was one of several vessel listings in that round, which also named FEADSHIP, LUNA LUSTER, MIDAS, and QUANTUM STAR alongside individuals and corporate entities across Hong Kong, the UAE, Marshall Islands, Panama, Liberia, Nevis, China and the UK.
Full technical particulars for BRIGHT GOLD (IMO number, flag state, tonnage, registered owner) are not confirmed in available sources at time of writing. The vessel's registration in one of the named jurisdictions (Marshall Islands, Panama or Liberia are the most common flags of convenience for such networks) is probable but not verified. Like other vessels in this SDN round, BRIGHT GOLD exemplifies the layered Shell structure OFAC targets: beneficial ownership traceable to Iran's procurement network, with a flag-of-convenience registration creating legal distance.
The structural significance of this round is what it omits: zero mainland Chinese refineries were added, continuing the pattern from 11, 12 and 15 May rounds. Shell vessels like BRIGHT GOLD absorb the public enforcement action while the major throughput route — Chinese refinery offtake — remains untouched.
