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US OFAC sanctions first Chinese teapot refinery and oil tankers over Iranian links

Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical and its chief executive officer were added to OFAC’s sanctions list for purchasing and refining hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil.

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The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday (20 March) sanctioned a “teapot” oil refinery and its chief executive officer for purchasing and refining hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil, including from vessels linked to Ansarallah, commonly known as the Houthis, and the Iranian Ministry of Defense of Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).

Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd (Luqing Petrochemical), a teapot refinery in Shandong Province, has purchased millions of barrels of Iranian oil worth approximately half a billion dollars. 

Luqing Petrochemical received Iranian oil transported by shadow fleet vessels, some of which have been sanctioned for their role transporting Iranian petroleum linked to the Houthis and MODAFL, including the MEHLE (IMO: 9191711) and the KOHANA (IMO: 9254082). In mid-2022, Luqing Petrochemical was identified as a buyer of Iranian oil associated with the Iranian military and Iranian military forces.

Luqing Petrochemical is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. PRC national Wang Xueqing serves as the chief executive officer and legal representative of Luqing Petrochemical, and is being concurrently designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Luqing Petrochemical. 

“Teapot refinery purchases of Iranian oil provide the primary economic lifeline for the Iranian regime, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. 

“The United States is committed to cutting off the revenue streams that enable Tehran’s continued financing of terrorism and development of its nuclear program.”

OFAC additionally imposed sanctions on 19 entities and vessels responsible for shipping millions of barrels of Iranian oil, comprising part of Iran’s “shadow fleet” of tankers supplying teapot refineries like Luqing Petrochemical. 

Iranian crude oil is transported to teapot refineries via a “shadow fleet” of vessels that usually engage in deceptive shipping practices, including automatic identification system (AIS) manipulation.

OFAC sanctioned eight vessels that constitute part of this fleet, including the Comoros-flagged NATALINA 7 (IMO: 9310147), Panama-flagged CATALINA 7 (IMO: 9310159), AURORA RILEY (IMO: 9181649), and VIOLA (IMO: 9254915), San Marino-flagged MONTROSE (IMO: 9281695), Barbados-flagged VOLANS (IMO: 9422988) and BRAVA LAKE (IMO: 9232876), and the currently unflagged TITAN (IMO: 9293741).

 

Photo credit: tommao wang on Unsplash
Published: 24 March, 2025

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Winding up

Singapore: LNG Alpha Shipping Pte Ltd and related companies to be wound up voluntarily

In 2024, the US reportedly imposed sanctions on LNG Gamma Shipping, LNG Delta Shipping, LNG Beta Shipping and LNG Alpha Shipping for their alleged links to Russian LNG producer Novatek.

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Several notices in the Government Gazette were published by the Director of LNG Alpha Shipping Pte Ltd and related companies on Wednesday (20 May), regarding some resolutions that were passed in relation to the winding up of the companies. 

The other companies are LNG Delta Shipping Pte Ltd, LNG Beta Shipping Pte Ltd and LNG Gamma Shipping Pte Ltd.

The following resolutions were duly passed during an Extraordinary General Meeting for the companies:

AS SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS

Resolved:

  1. That the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018, and that Mr Lum Chi Lup Benny of 190 Middle Road, #17-05 Fortune Centre, Singapore 188979, be and is hereby appointed as Liquidator for the purpose of such winding-up.
  2. That the Liquidator be and is hereby authorised (when and as soon as the debts and liabilities of the Company have been paid and satisfied or duly provided for) to distribute the assets in specie or kind among the contributories of the Company in accordance with their respective rights and interests.
  3. That the Liquidator of the Company be and is hereby authorised to exercise any of the powers given by Sections 144(1)(b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018.

AS ORDINARY RESOLUTIONS

Resolved:

  1. That the Liquidator, Mr Lum Chi Lup Benny be remunerated for the work of winding-up the Company on his normal scale of fees and that the Liquidator be indemnified by the Company against all costs, charges, losses, expenses and liabilities incurred or sustained by him in the execution and discharge of his duties in relation thereto.
  2. That pursuant to Section 195(2) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018, the books, accounts and documents of the Company and those of the Liquidator shall be retained for a period of 5 years after the dissolution of the Company and, at the expiration of that period, the documents may be destroyed.

In 2024, it was reported that all four Singapore-based LNG shipping companies were sanctioned by the US for their links to the Russian LNG producer Novatek. They are all majority-owned by New Transhipment FZE, a Novatek subsidiary based in the United Arab Emirates.

 

Photo credit: Benjamin Child
Published: 21 May, 2026

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Business

Hengli’s former Singapore trading arm begins staff layoffs ahead of potential May shutdown

According to a Reuters report citing four industry sources, the company plans to cease operations and is expected to wind down operations by late May.

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Hengli Petrochemical International, the former Singapore trading arm of Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, has dismissed some employees, according to a news report by Bloomberg, citing industry sources.

On 24 April, US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned China-based independent teapot refinery Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, a unit of Hengli Petrochemical, saying it purchased billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil.

Some workers were laid off while others were offered positions in other entities, sources said. 

According to a Reuters report citing four industry sources, the company plans to cease operations and is expected to wind down operations by late May.

Last month, Hengli reportedly restructured the ownership of the Singapore entity, cutting the sanctioned refinery’s stake from 100% to 5% and transferring the remainder to a Chinese government-linked firm.

Related: Hengli shifts ownership of Singapore trading arm in wake of US sanctions
Related: US sanctions China’s second-largest teapot refinery for purchasing Iranian oil

 

Photo credit: Andy Wang on Unsplash
Published: 12 May, 2026

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Sanctions

US sanctions China-based terminal operator for allegedly importing Iranian crude oil

State Department alleged that the terminal has accepted cargo from multiple vessels which conducted illicit STS transfers of Iranian-origin crude off the coast of Singapore.

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The United States on Friday (1 May) sanctioned a China-based crude oil terminal owner and operator, which it said has imported “tens of millions of barrels of sanctioned Iranian crude oil”, which has enabled the flow of billions of dollars to Tehran. 

The State Department alleged that Qingdao Haiye Oil Terminal Co Ltd received dozens of shipments, totaling tens of millions of barrels of Iranian origin crude oil in 2025.

Qingdao Haiye operates a crude oil terminal in the Qingdao Huangdao port area in the greater Qingdao Port cluster of China’s Shandong province. 

“The terminal has accepted cargo from multiple vessels which conducted illicit ship-to-ship (STS) transfers of Iranian-origin crude off the coast of Singapore known as the eastern outside port limits (EOPL), which is an area that has been identified as a hotspot for illicit STS transfers of Iranian-origin crude,” it said. 

“These STS transfers were conducted with other vessels which had previously been designated by OFAC for transshipping Iranian energy products.”

It added that Iran’s petroleum exports, which remain the most critical economic lifeline supporting the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime, are reliant on key intermediaries who facilitate the transfer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil to end users.

“China-based crude oil and petroleum product terminal operators serve as one of the most significant conduits in this trade, as they directly enable the flow of illicit Iranian oil to consumers,” it said.

 

Photo credit: Zbynek Burival on Unsplash
Published: 4 May, 2026

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