LUNA LUSTER
Vessel designated on OFAC SDN list 19 May 2026 as an Iran-linked oil shipping shell.
Last refreshed: 19 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How does Iran's shadow fleet keep moving oil after each round of OFAC designations?
Timeline for LUNA LUSTER
Designated vessel in OFAC 19 May SDN round
Iran Conflict 2026: OFAC SDN round skips mainland refineries again- What is the LUNA LUSTER tanker on the OFAC sanctions list?
- LUNA LUSTER is a vessel designated by OFAC on 19 May 2026 as an Iran-linked oil shipping Shell. Full technical details including IMO number and flag state are not confirmed in publicly available sources.Source: OFAC SDN list, 19 May 2026
- How does Iran keep exporting oil despite OFAC sanctions?
- Iran uses a shadow fleet of flags-of-convenience vessels with layered Shell ownership to obscure oil shipments to Chinese refineries. OFAC designates individual vessels like LUNA LUSTER but has consistently avoided sanctioning Chinese state refineries that are the principal buyers.Source: event
Background
LUNA LUSTER is a vessel designated by OFAC on 19 May 2026 as part of a round targeting Iran-linked shipping entities. She was named alongside BRIGHT GOLD, FEADSHIP, MIDAS, and QUANTUM STAR in the same SDN action, which covered individuals and corporate entities across Hong Kong, the UAE, Marshall Islands, Panama, Liberia, Nevis, China and the UK.
Full technical particulars for LUNA LUSTER (IMO number, flag state, gross tonnage, registered beneficial owner) are not confirmed in publicly available sources at time of writing. The naming pattern — evocative, non-descriptive names such as BRIGHT GOLD, LUNA LUSTER, and MIDAS — is consistent with how Iran-linked shipping shells register vessels to obscure network membership while maintaining operational communication among crews aware of the true ownership structure.
The 19 May 2026 round added no mainland Chinese refineries. Shell vessels like LUNA LUSTER are OFAC's primary enforcement lever against Iran's oil export shadow fleet without triggering direct confrontation with Chinese state-owned refinery operators who remain the principal offtake buyers.
