Elaborate tanker identity theft scam used to hide Houthi trade
- Dongfushan, a tanker stranded in Ukraine since 2022, recently emerged to serve Houthi oil trades in an elaborate identity theft scheme
- The imposter tanker did not pass through the UNVIM inspection regime in Djibouti on its way to Ras Isa, where it called with its AIS off
- Dongfushan and another ‘burner’ identity appeared to have been used by several ships calling in Yemen
- Findings illustrate the growing sophistication of maritime fraud at sea
The identity of a tanker stranded in a Ukrainian port has been hijacked to conceal callings at Houthi-controlled Ras Isa port, illustrating the growing sophistication of maritime fraud and challenges in enforcing US sanctions on the Yemeni faction and the UNVIM inspection mechanism
