Photo: SeaLead
Singapore-based SeaLead has seen its ability to deploy capacity further hobbled by the US Treasury Department’s decision to sanction six more of its vessels over accusations that they are being used to support Tehran-linked interests.
据报道 载星 in April, the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit claiming SeaLead provided shipping services to interests controlled by Iranian official Ali Shamkhani, and was seeking to seize some $2.4m related to the funding of an illicit Iranian oil network.
Treasury upped the ante by adding SeaLead – and its subsidiaries – and several of its vessels of some 10,500 teu to its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list, over claims it had been shipping cargo to support the Houthis.
While this latest intervention marks the first time SeaLead and its vessels have been directly sanctioned by a US government entity, it comes as the operator has been struggling to keep things moving.
“As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC,” the Treasury said.
“In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, or 50% or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.”
In July 2025, the DoJ forced SeaLead to redeliver 16 sanctioned vessels, and the carrier has since been made to redeliver more chartered ships, causing its fleet size to plunge from 208,000 teu in May 2025 to less than 70,000, before this latest action.
Following SeaLead’s misfortune, China United Lines capitalised by taking over the vessels that had been returned early to Greek owner Danaos.