OFAC Sanctions Companies, Ship Operators Moving Houthi Goods

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned shipping companies, shipowners, vessels and others based in China, the United Arab Emirates, India and elsewhere for helping to transport oil and commodities for Sa’id al-Jamal (see 2312280012, 2401120015 and 2403260016), a financial facilitator for the Yemen-based Houthis. OFAC said the network helps to forge shipping documents and hide their cargo origin to evade U.S. sanctions.

The designations target United Arab Emirates and Oman-based Shark International Shipping LLC, managed by John Britto Aruldhas, for falsifying shipping documents for the Houthis. The agency also sanctioned India-based Rayyan Shipping Private Limited and Vivek Ashok Pandey, a captain of the designated ship Olympics, which may have been shipping goods for the al-Jamal network as recently as May. Al-Jamal’s Yemen-based nephew, ‘Abdallah Najib Ahmad al-Jamal, manages “money laundering operations” for the al-Jamal network, OFAC said.

Hong Kong-based Lainey Shipping Limited, which owns the Panama-flagged Janet, and Panama-based Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises S.A., which owns the Panama-flagged Bella 1, carried sanctioned cargo to Southeast Asia for Concepto Screen SAL Off-Shore, a sanctioned company owned by Hezbollah. OFAC also sanctioned Sandeep Singh Choudhary, the “master” of the vessel La Pearl, which is anchored off the coast of China after delivering “sanctioned cargo.”